


she's falling off the cherry tree

by moonmotels



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Alternate Universe - Professors, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-01 20:30:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19185022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonmotels/pseuds/moonmotels
Summary: my little take on a professor au.





	1. Tell me how to love, it's been so long

**Author's Note:**

> talk to me like lovers do
> 
> -here comes the rain again, eurythmics c. 1983

If you asked Cordelia Goode’s coworkers to describe her, something along the lines of ‘frazzled’, ‘high strung’, or maybe even plain old, ‘stressed’ would be at the top of their list. Mixed along with plenty of praise, of course.

Cordelia had been the head of the psychology department at the University of New Orleans coming on seven years now. She’d created and maintained a tough but loving archetype for herself, priding herself on making sure each of her students thrived under her rule. She used to teach classes all day, but since her predecessor Myrtle Snow had retired and handpicked her for the position, she’d been given more leniency in her days. She stuck to managing a few psychology courses during the morning alongside juggling department head duties. 

So it wasn’t unusual for her to be in Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt’s office in the middle of the day. Cordelia had flung herself into the comfortable armchair as she waited for her best friend to return with their mid-day ritual of pastries and coffee. From outside in the hall, she heard typical chatter from students milling about, but one voice stood out in particular. It was a new one that she’d never heard before, and it sent a welcome thrill up her spine.

It belonged to a woman; a soulful, deep accent that Cordelia couldn’t immediately place. Maybe from out near the bayous, or the outskirts of the city, or-

She was positively illuminated without even seeing a face.

Just as she went to stand and peek her head out of the office, Coco swiftly kicked the door open with her stiletto clad foot, balancing two paper bags and two to-go cups in her arms. “By all means, princess, make yourself at home while I struggle to carry in your five star meal.”

Cordelia laughed, standing up to take a bag and cup from Coco. “Sorry, I was listening to-“

“Did you meet Professor Day yet? Misty?” She corrected herself. “She’s sexy, got this whole boho vibe thing going on. She just got hired as department head of biology.”

“Wait, what happened to Hank?”

Hank had been running the biology department for as long as Cordelia could remember; and for the same amount of time had been pining after her. She wouldn’t even give him the time of day, seeing as his leering glares and offhand compliments made her skin crawl. Dating Hank? She’d rather quit her job and move back home with her mother.

Flinging herself into the swivel chair behind the desk, Coco placed her croissant down and shot Cordelia a look of disbelief. “You didn’t hear? Oh this is gold, I get to see your face when I tell you.” She leaned in to whisper; despite the door being shut tight, “He got caught smoking weed with one of the kids behind the biology lab. Or so they say, you can probably guess what else he was really doing.” Coco loved gossip, already knowing that Hank had been caught doing something much more scandalous than smoking, not that Cordelia cared to know the dirty details.

“I can’t say I’m surprised he was that stupid. Good riddance, honestly. I’m sure Misty’s a fine replacement.” Cordelia was intrigued now, forgetting about Hank in the span of two minutes. “Tell me more about her.”

“Well you’ll probably know more than me by the end of the day, her office is right across the hall from yours. She’s cute, she has a degree in zoology and one in biology. She took over Hank’s courses and is planning some of her own for next semester.” Impressive. Not many new teachers took on the task of hand creating all new courses. It took strategy and careful planning, which meant Cordelia already looked forward to meeting her. She seemed up to par with Cordelia’s own strict personal standards.

“Was that who I heard out in the hallway just now?”

“Yeah, she got turned around outside the faculty hallway looking for the cafe, so I took her under my wing and we went to Starbucks instead.”

Cordelia nodded, knowing that anyone who went to the student run cafe would certainly regret their decision within ten minutes of drinking the room temperature coffee and flavorless muffins. She loved her students, but she valued her coffee more.

“That was nice. I didn’t think you had it in you to be kind to random strangers.”

Coco mock-scowled at the playful dig. “I’m plenty nice, I just don’t have time for stupid people. Plus she was really sweet, she paid for our drinks.”

“Whatever you say,” Cordelia dodged the wadded up bag Coco threw at her. “Thanks for my muffin. I’ll have to thank her for the drink.”

“Yeah, yeah. Hey, how was your date the other night?”

Cordelia may be a bit straight laced, but she still knew how to enjoy what little free time she had. She dated around here and there, never sticking with one person for more than a couple weeks. It was always something off with them, either they couldn’t compete with her intellectually or were just straight up boring. The last date, a guy who had asked her out in the wine aisle of the grocery store, was precisely the latter.

“Dull. His palms were sweaty and he tried to kiss me at the end of the night. I’ve perfected my dodging skills by now,” Cordelia shook her head. She was starting to think she may be destined to be alone forever. “He talked about how much he loved his mother the whole time.”

“Was this guy named Norman, by any chance? Norman Bates?”

“Very funny,” she fake laughed. “I just feel like I’m cursed to date idiotic men for the rest of my life.”

“You should date a woman. Or fuck one at least. You really need to let loose and get absolutely railed. It’ll take some weight off your back.” Coco checked her nails absentmindedly, sighing dramatically as if Cordelia’s stress gave _her_ stress.

Cordelia nearly choked on her muffin at the crassness. She should know by now that Coco has little to no qualms about saying what’s on her mind, and yet, she’s caught off guard every time. She shot back, “Are you speaking from experience, or?”

“I wish I could say it shocks me that you’ve never slept with a woman.”

“I’ve slept with women,” she cried defensively, picking her muffin apart with fingers.

Coco’s eyebrows raised. “ _Women_? Plural? God, I love being your best friend. You bring me such joy. When was this, college?”

“I’m not telling you th-”

A soft knock interrupted her sentence. Cordelia stood, brushing the crumbs off her blouse and pulling the door open. In the process of stepping backwards to let the person in, she managed to trip over her own two feet, spilling warm liquid all over herself and Coco’s rug. From behind her, she heard the following groan. But when she looked up, everything else in her peripheral faded away like she’d entered the twilight zone. Her breath hitched as baby blue eyes met hers, shooting little sparks of thrill down her arms and legs. The eye contact was electrifying, so stimulating that her hands began trembling. Stood in front of her dressed in a lab coat, a vintage smock dress, and a pair of wire rimmed glasses, was the most beautiful woman she’d seen on campus.

Probably in the whole country if she was being honest.

Misty Day, she presumed. It had to be. She looked too old to be a student, too young to be one of the ancient professors she and Coco worked with, too pretty to be standing here and not on the cover of a magazine.

“Hi,” she blurted out.

“Hey, darlin’, let me help you with that,” Misty gestured towards her recently emptied cup and coffee dripping down her pant leg. _Oh_. She’d forgotten about that in the three seconds it had taken her to come face to face with the prettiest woman alive.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, handing it to Misty who promptly threw it in the trash can beside her. Remembering that coffee stains, she turned to ask Coco, “Paper towels?”

“Here,” she rummaged through her desk drawer a moment, tossing a wad of napkins at Cordelia. “Don’t worry too much, I’ll have Linda in maintenance put down some carpet cleaner later.”

“I’m sorry.” Cordelia profusely apologized, “I tripped.”

“Who fucking cares. I hate this office anyway, it’s nowhere near where my classes are. Maybe I’ll put in a request for an office change now.” Coco brightened up, “Hi, Misty.”

“Hey, Co,” Misty was still busy examining Cordelia’s face, beautiful eyes flicking across every line and curve as though committing them to memory. “I just came by on my way to class to say thanks again for not letting me go to the cafe, my tea was really good and far from lukewarm.” Finally wrenching her eyes from where they’d been focused on the apple of Cordelia’s cheeks, she leaned over and smiled at Coco.

“Well, what kind of friend am I if I don’t share my wealth of knowledge about this campus.” She spread her arms wide and leaned back in her chair as if burdened by her charm, “It’s my duty here, besides you know, teaching our future leaders.”

“Yeah,” Misty ducked her head and laughed, the prettiest sounding thing Cordelia had ever heard aside from her voice. “I just came to say that, I won’t bother y’all.”

“Wait, have you met Cordelia yet? She runs the psychology department. Isn’t she pretty?”

Cordelia finally snapped out of it and swiveled her head around. “Shut up,” she hissed, then softer as she turned back to Misty, “Hi. Cordelia Goode. Ignore her.” She offered her hand, unable to hide her delight when Misty took it. 

“She is,” she replied to Coco, then to Cordelia, “Misty Day. I’m new here, if you couldn’t tell.” Her bashful grin lit up signals in Cordelia’s brain that all pointed to something very, very positive. “I’m over in office 352, where’s yours?”

Her brain was muddled with inappropriate thoughts of running her hands through Misty’s wild looking hair, so it took her a moment to catch up with the question she was asked. “Oh, um, right across the hall from you. 350.”

“Office mates! Great. I’ll need some familiar, pretty faces around for when I get lost again. Anyway, I do have to go find my classroom in the biology wing, so I’ll see y’all around.” She offered a parting tiny wave and timid glance in Cordelia’s direction.

“Hang a right outside my office and go down two flights of stairs,” Coco replied flippantly, without looking up from her computer screen. “And come back on Monday, we have coffee this time every day.”

“I sure would love that, thanks Coco.” She turned to walk away, barely making it out the door before turning her head. “Bye, Cordelia.”

She meekly offered back, “Bye, Misty.”

Watching her leave, Cordelia felt numb to the touch like the slightest push could send her careening off the face of the earth. From behind her, Coco cleared her throat. “Hey, Cordelia? I asked you what you’re doing for dinner tonight. Jesus, I know she’s hot and all, but get it together or you’re gonna start drooling.”

For the second time today, Cordelia replied, “Shut up. I’m fine, I’m just distracted by my ruined pants.”

“Uh huh, is that why you could barely get your name out?” Coco was still clicking around on her computer nonchalantly, but Cordelia could tell she was brimming with excitement, ready to play matchmaker. She was probably Facebook stalking Misty right now, finding out her favorite color, what she looked like in 2009, and if the girls in her photos are friends or something more that would give Cordelia a green light.

“I could hit you sometimes, I swear.”

“You say that like you don’t love me. Okay, she’s a Pisces, loves animals, drives a jeep, and is extremely touchy feely with women. She’s most definitely dated them in the past. I’m just saying, we don’t pose for pictures like this.”

Cordelia shucked in a breath, the revelation of her last tidbit of information pulling all the air from her lungs. _Dated them in the past._ The light in Cordelia’s mind started flashing green, her cheeks flushing at the mere idea of asking Misty out. “I would be terrified of your stalking skills if they weren’t currently working out in my favor.”

A smug grin. “You can thank me at your wedding. She’s perfect for you. Smart, beautiful, probably has palms that don’t sweat, and I bet she’ll rail you into oblivion if you ask nicely.”

“Okay, I’m leaving your office now,” Cordelia stood up and continued, “before you start commenting on her posts with my phone number. I’ll call you later about dinner, alright?”

“No promises. Bye, babe.”

As she walked back down to her office, she purposely took the long route down the biology corridor in hopes of catching a glimpse of a certain blonde. As luck would have it, Misty was teaching a full class. She seemed perfectly in command of the students, more so than Hank ever did. She was genuine and charming, making her kids laugh with a story about her early days of being a vet tech that ended with her dramatically quitting, as cleaning cat throw up just _was not_ for her.

Cordelia wasn’t aware how much time had passed by the time she pulled herself away from the doorway of the classroom. Glancing down at her phone, she mumbled a _‘fuck’_ at the dozens of emails she’d received from students. Quickly backtracking to her office, she spent the next hour answering emails and setting up visits during her free hours.

She was focused so intently on her task that she nearly missed the soft rasp on her office door. Glancing up to make sure she’d heard that right, another knock came. Rubbing her tired eyes, she powered down her computer and called out, “Come in.”

She saw the soft blonde curls before she saw the person they were attached to, smiling too widely before she could stop herself. When Misty pushed herself all the way inside the room, Cordelia’s heart grew fifteen sizes. “Hi, again.”

“Hey there, Cordelia. I just came to ask if you’d like to go get another coffee, since, you know, your other one became part of Coco’s carpet. My treat,” she added. Cordelia could see Misty trying to reign palpable excitement in.

“I’d love to. But my treat, because you paid for the first one.”

“A beautiful woman buying me coffee? How could I refuse that.” Misty grinned. “Are you ready now?”

Cordelia blushed. She would be ready if she had eight million unanswered emails and three hundred students waiting in a line outside of her door. “Yes,” she stood and swirled around to find her jacket. “I’m ready, coffee stains and all.”

The soft giggle that she released gave Cordelia sweet chills. It was almost as though Misty had been put on this planet specifically to laugh for Cordelia, because she decided right then it could keep her filled to the brim with happiness for dozens of lifetimes. If she didn’t get a grip soon, Cordelia would be finding herself in a compromised position.

“Starbucks?”

“Perfect.”

As they made their way towards the building on the edge of campus, they made small chit chat that ironically made Cordelia’s palms sweat. She was positively smitten with Misty, learning about the things Coco had already revealed to her. It didn’t matter, they sounded better coming from Misty’s mouth anyway. She learned about her childhood, the friends that turned out to be animals she found in the woods, and that her favorite food is bagels. By the time they made it to Starbucks, Cordelia was practically in love. The way the sunlight hit Misty’s hair, shining it like a diamond made Cordelia do a self awareness check to make positive she was breathing regularly.

After Cordelia ordered herself and Misty a drink, she tentatively sat down across the table from her. She felt awkward, giddy, and nervous like she’d been asked on a date. In the back of her brain she had to constantly remind herself this was coffee. _Just_ coffee. Friends get coffee together all the time.

But somehow this felt much more than that, especially with the way their knees knocked softly against each other’s under the table and how Misty kept flickering her gaze between the neckline of Cordelia’s blouse and her dark eyes.

With her back to the floor to ceiling window, Misty was illuminated in the soft sunlight that captured her figure around the edges, making her look like a divine being sent straight from the heavens to provide Cordelia salvation.

“I’m so glad Coco swooped me under her wing like a baby bird. I was so damn lost earlier,” Misty chuckled. “I woulda ended up ass backwards somewhere.”

Cordelia was alight with wonder at Misty’s self-deprecating joke. “Yeah, that’s Coco. Always helping someone out.”

“I’m even more grateful she found me, because it led me to you,” Misty mused, without a hint of embarrassment in her tone for admitting such an astonishing fact. Cordelia’s hands started shaking, and she had to place her coffee cup down before questioning, “Led you to me?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect. I need some friends at this school, I feel like the new kid everybody is gawking at. It’s even worse because I dress like a loner from the seventies.”

_Oh. Of course she didn’t mean it like that -_

“Oh, yeah, we’re friends now. I’ll make sure you’re kept in the know about things.” She paused to wave to one of her students when the bell above the door chimed to signal their arrival.

“That’d be great, Miss Cordelia. Tell me about yourself.”

So Cordelia launched into her typical spiel about her upbringing, her life through college years and the past seven years here at the university. Once they were finished with their coffee, Cordelia was desperate to keep the conversation going. Finally running out of ideas, she reluctantly checked the time and sighed. “I’ve had a really nice time with you, but I should probably get myself home.”

Misty seemed perplexed, and Cordelia hoped it was because she didn’t want this moment to end either.

“God, yeah. I could talk for hours, probably keep you here till next Friday.”

Cordelia placed a comforting hand on Misty’s forearm, careful not to make it more personal than it felt. “No, I had a great time. We can do this whenever you’re free, honestly. I don’t have much to do in the afternoons.”

“Awesome, I’d really enjoy that. I’ll let you get home, then.” Misty stood, a wide smile rivaling the sun’s beauty ghosting across her features.

It made Cordelia want to make Misty her wife one day.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” she blurted. “Just in case you get lost again. It’s tricky finding your way.” It was a lame excuse and they both knew it, but neither wanted to part ways just yet.

“Well, let’s get to it.”

They walked towards Misty’s car, huddled so close against the wind that they were nearly on top of each other. Cordelia was busy thanking the weather gods for the powerful chill in the air when Misty halted mid-stride and hissed out, “Fuck me.”

 _Gladly_.

Shaking her head to erase the image, Cordelia looked down at what Misty was referring to. Her front tire had gone flat sometime during the day, completely unable to drive on.

“Oh shit,” she asked, “Do you have a towing service?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Misty sighed. “Let me call them.”

Fifteen minutes and two phone transfers later, Misty replied with a quiet, “Thank you,” and hung up. She looked over at Cordelia with a solemn gaze. “Turns out several people have flat tires and they can’t come tow my car until tomorrow morning. I’m gonna have to call an Uber or something. Just my luck on the first day, huh?”

Cordelia felt something swell up inside of her. Without thinking, she heedlessly demanded, “Let me take you home.” She couldn’t place her finger on what spurred this interaction, but she knew with unwavering certainty that something inside of her would have been angry if she hadn’t said anything.

Misty knit her eyebrows together, suspicious likely being an understatement. “You really don’t- I don’t want to make you do that. It’s probably far for you.”

_I’d drive you to the ends of the earth if it meant spending three more seconds together._

“It’s fine, I promise. Or I wouldn’t have offered,” Cordelia chuckled, “Come on, my car’s across the lot.”

Misty nodded minutely, locking her car back up and shoving the keys in her bag. “Okay, if you're sure.”

As they walked together to Cordelia’s car, she couldn’t help but feel warm inside at the idea that Misty wasn’t forced to have some random driver take her home. Even if she wasn’t so entirely smitten by the last few hours they’d spent together, she would have driven her home anyway.

Finally getting to her car, Cordelia unlocked the door and opened the passenger side for Misty. After making sure she was in comfortably, she slid into the driver’s side and swung her way out of the spot. “Where to, Professor?” Misty guided her through tree lined streets and out towards the edge of town. Pulling up to a small but quaint little home, Cordelia parked in the driveway and looked over to say her goodbyes.

Tapping her nails rhythmically on the wheel to ward off the nervousness she felt, Cordelia said, “I’ll see you Monday, Misty. I had a really great time getting to know you today.”

“Gosh, I just made you drive all the way out here, will you come in for a drink?”

“I don’t want to impose, I’m sure you have plenty of stuff to do.”

“You mean the riveting night I have ahead of me that includes learning eighty-plus student names? Trust me, I’d rather have a drink with you. Come on, I deserve it after my day. Don’t make me drink alone.”

“Well, I guess I have time for one. If you’re sure.”

They got out, and Cordelia waited as Misty unlocked the front door and greeted the large great dane that was wagging his tail impatiently inside. After leaning over to greet him, Misty straightened up and turned back towards Cordelia, who tentatively stepped inside the hall. “This is Mick, he’s my best friend and the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet.” She shrugged her coat and lab coat off, tossing them nonchalantly on a nearby chair.

“Mick? As in Mick Fleetwood?”

“Is it that obvious?”

Cordelia was focused on the various record albums adorning Misty’s wall, including all of Fleetwood Mac’s discography. “Not at all. Your house is cute,” she commented.

“Shit, thanks. It’s just Mick and I, so it’s nice to hear that from another human. Come in, come in.” She gestured towards the kitchen, taking Cordelia’s scarf from her and lying it on the back of a chair. Once they meandered through the hall, Misty said, “You seem like a wine girl but I also have tequila or bourbon. Which do you prefer?” There was a twinkle of something mischievous in her eyes, so Cordelia picked the option that could open up a world of opportunities. If she was allowing herself to go down this path, Cordelia could admit that there was a whiff of sexual tension in the air. She just hoped she wasn’t imagining things.

“I am a wine girl, but I’ve been known to knock back some bourbon on occasion.”

“A girl after my own heart. Go make yourself comfortable in the living room, I’ll be right there.”

Cordelia took her direction to heart, making her way back to the living room where she plopped herself down on the comfortable couch and took a moment to adjust her headspace. She mentally prepared herself to have one drink and leave, she couldn’t risk pushing anything between them too far. If she did something to make Misty uncomfortable, she’d run the risk of ruining a friendship and work relationship between a colleague. On the other hand, Misty didn’t seem perturbed by having someone she’d met five hours prior in her house on a Friday night. Just the two of them. Alone on her couch. With a bottle of bourbon set in the space between.

“Figured I’d just bring the whole bottle,” Misty winked. She handed Cordelia a tumbler with ice clinking softly inside, pouring her a hefty two finger drink. Realizing she may have poured too much, she shrugged her shoulders and whispered an _oops_ that didn’t sound apologetic in the slightest. After pouring herself one, Misty sighed and stretched her feet on the coffee table in front of them while Mick made himself comfortable in the corner near the fireplace. Cordelia’s heart felt at peace for once in her life. When she’d pictured the domesticity she craved so badly some nights, this was the exact scenario inside her subconscious. Misty’s serene face, eyes closed to relish the drink and stillness of her home, the crackling of the fireplace, and the low snores coming from the great dane in the corner. It felt like home and comfort all wrapped up into one tiny gift.

Misty sat up suddenly. “I told you earlier that I never shut up and now here I am, ignoring you. I’m sorry,” she chastised herself. “It was just a terribly long day.”

“Don’t feel bad, I’m very content like this. And trust me, I understand,” Cordelia soothed her worries. “Teaching college aged students is not for the weak of heart. Sometimes I go home on Fridays and not talk to anyone until the following Monday.”

“Maybe I’m in a lil over my head,” she sniffled. “I’m a little nervous about this job, if I can be honest.”

Again, Cordelia placed a comforting hand on Misty’s body, this time daring to place it on her upper thigh. When Misty released her gaze and glanced down at the touch, Cordelia cleared her throat and pulled away. “I think you’re a wonderful fit. I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t mean it. You’re incredibly smart, and the command you have over your students is domineering and powerful. I’m in awe and I barely know you.”

“Was that you I saw peekin’ into my classroom earlier?” The toothy grin and look in Misty’s eyes told Cordelia she’d been busted.

“Oh, you see I was on my way to the-”

“It’s okay darlin’, it’s actually comforting to know you were watching me. Do you realize how much confidence you exude? It made me feel empowered.”

Cordelia didn’t feel confident at the moment. She felt clumsy, stumbling over her gracious thanks like she was turned into a puddle of mush in Misty’s presence. “That’s very nice of you to say, Misty. I appreciate it.”

Misty had finished her drink by now, and the flush of her cheeks made Cordelia want to hold and kiss them in that order. “And I gotta admit, having someone as beautiful as you watching me made my day. I ain’t ever had someone like you watchin’ me do my thing.”

 _Oh_.

“Well, I’ll drink to that.” Cordelia knocked her recently refilled glass to Misty’s and took a swift swig.

“I know what we should do. Play a little truth or drink, get to know each other. Wanna play with me?”

Cordelia could feel her lips moving with the affirmative reply before her brain could weigh the pros and cons. Misty’s excitement at the confirmation washed away all of the cons before she could even consider backtracking her approval.

Starting off strong, Misty asked, “When’s the last time you had sex?”

Halfway through her second glass, Cordelia had no problems replying, “A month and a half ago. Shitty date, shittier sex.”

“Yeah, I’ll cheers to that one,” Misty snorted.

“Where’s the weirdest place you’ve done it?”

Misty raised her glass to her lips, the cognitive part of her brain working overtime to stop her from answering, but she quickly overpowered the embarrassment by answering, “In a shack in the middle of the swamp.” When Cordelia started shaking with laughter, she shoved her arm, crying, “Don’t judge me! I was young.”

“No, I just- wasn’t expecting that. I expected his car or someplace cramped.”

“Who said it was a him?”

Cordelia felt the world fall out from under her. They’d entered dangerous territory now, as if their two glasses of bourbon and the way they’d inched closer together for warmth hadn’t been leading up to this.

“Interesting.”

Misty bit and drug her bottom lip between teeth, staring into Cordelia’s eyes the entire time. “Extremely. So- have you ever been with a woman?”

Cordelia knew Misty had expected her to take a drink, but in a venture that surprised her, she answered truthfully, “Once or twice.”

With a visible swallow in her throat, Misty nodded imperceptibly. “Once or twice, huh?”

“Mhm.” The sexual tension had broken its seal by now, and Cordelia had to dig her nails into her palms to stop herself from pressing every inch of her body on top of Misty’s. They were colleagues first and foremost, and the thought of ruining their budding friendship put a stop to the stomach churning fantasies. Even so, she managed to ask, “How many women have you been with?”

This time, Misty didn’t allow Cordelia the benefit of a reply, instead taking a giant sip from her now empty glass. Setting it down on the table, she didn’t take any time in asking, “So, you and Coco. Friends? Dating?” She paused for a moment, eyes squinted, “Secret lovers?”

Cordelia couldn’t helped the insane laughter that bubbled out at the idea. Nearly choking on her final sip of bourbon, she hastily answered, “Absolutely the fuck not. I love her to death but we’d drive each other to the brink of insanity in less than twenty four hours.”

“That’s good. I mean, that you, like-“

“Misty.” Cordelia lulled her head to the side. “Kiss me, please.”

A sigh.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Misty practically launched herself into Cordelia’s lap, immediately swinging her arms around her shoulders. She paused for a moment, the copious amount of alcohol swimming in her brain no match to her rational thinking. “Is this- are you sure?”

Cordelia had never felt more sure about anything. Fuck the rules, fuck whatever happened tomorrow, fuck holding back every desire she had to hear Misty’s moans. This was what she wanted, and she was going to have it. She was already heaving and breathless as she whispered, “Please.” The alcohol obviously influenced her request, but Cordelia knew in the back of her mind somewhere that this would have happened regardless.

And then Misty’s lips were on hers, once, twice, a dozen more times as their need grew bold. It felt the furthest thing from rushed, almost as if Cordelia had been patiently waiting for this moment her whole life. Plump lips crashed into hers incessantly, so _fucking_ soft and warm that Cordelia’s head was spinning too rapidly to stop tiny moans from slipping out. As Misty clutched her cheeks, hips canting down incessantly, her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head.

Her skin was on fire, small bursts of heat exploding with every inch of skin Misty brushed her fingertips over. The sensation in her lower stomach coiling and burning hot with every passing second made her ridiculously giddy, like she was seventeen again making out with her high school crush. She would have gone mad with desire at the mere feeling of Misty’s lips against her own, but then Misty pulled back, disheveled and seemingly as titillated as the woman under her.

“C- _Cordelia-_ “ She puffed out, “We have to stop this before I take you right here on this couch.”

 _That_ sent a lightning bolt of arousal thrumming through her body. Forgetting every reason she may have for halting this, Cordelia replied breezily, “Who says I don’t want that?”

Misty nearly fell out of her lap. An incredulous raise of her eyebrows, she looped her arms around Cordelia’s neck and murmured, “I have been wanting to fuck you all day. Are you sure?”

Cordelia gripped the back of Misty’s neck and pulled her head down to slip her tongue in her mouth, smiling into the kiss when Misty groaned at the wordless confirmation. Her hands began wandering, tentatively at first, then more obscenely as time ticked slowly on. Her mouth still connected to Cordelia’s, Misty traveled her hands downwards until they slyly lifted the coffee stained blouse out from buttoned up pants. Lifting it slowly, calculated, she relished the pale, unblemished skin revealed underneath.

Now overly eager, Misty pulled back from Cordelia’s face to focus intently on the task at hand. When her fingers began trembling over the buttons, brow furrowed in concentration, Cordelia gently placed her hand on top of Misty’s and calmly stated, “We don’t have to do this now. I mean it, we can stop and go back to being friends if you’re uncomfortable.” It hurt to say, but she didn’t care about anything but Misty’s comfort level. The only thing she truly desired was making positive she didn’t push things too far.

Misty looked heartbroken and rejected. Dropping the hem of the shirt, she sat back slightly and whispered, “No, I just don’t wanna fuck this up. You’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, you know? I’m nervous because I think I like you.”

“ _Oh_.”

“Sorry, is that weird? I mean like, obviously I want to do this,” she gestured at the space between them. “But I also want to take you to breakfast tomorrow morning.”

When Cordelia took bated breath to reply, Misty went to climb off her lap. “It’s fine, it’s fine. We can go back to being friends.”

Cordelia gripped her thighs with a strong and gentle hold to halt the movement. “No, I don’t want to be friends. I want the same things you do. All of it.”

Misty audibly sighed, “Oh, thank god.” She swung her leg back over into Cordelia’s lap to kiss her once more, this time unbuttoning the shirt and pulling it off with no pause. Now lay flush against the back of the couch, Cordelia was left clad in a black see through bra and her high waisted button up pants.

“Holy fuck,” Misty marveled, her eyes trained in on Cordelia’s nipples through the mesh fabric. The woman under her shifted, already teetering on the edge with near painful desire. As she trailed her palms up smooth, pale thighs and went to tug that _goddamn_ dress over Misty’s head, the latter stopped the movement and shook her head. “Uh uh, I wanna touch you first.”

So who was Cordelia to deny her that? She flopped backwards on the couch with a groan, her palms keeping their position where they were gripped at the juncture between Misty’s hips and thighs. Not that she was complaining, as a soft moan floated down towards Cordelia’s ears and rang true like a chorus of angels. The adorable look of wonder in her eyes Misty had while cupping one of her breasts and flicking the nipple made Cordelia want to smile; but all she managed was a whine that escaped from the back of her throat. “Misty, please- _please_ don’t tease me.” She swallowed thickly, moaning again when the plea fell on deaf ears as the wild-haired blonde cupped both breasts tenderly and drew circles over her nipples again, roughly this time.

“Misty, I’m serious,” she tried to sound strong willed, but her plea came out broken and weak.

Finally, she stopped teasing and sat up to help Cordelia unzip and shuck her pants off. Misty licked the length of Cordelia’s jawline and clutched her shoulder, asking in a sinful tone, “How do you want me to do this? My mouth, or my fingers?”

Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut and let out a tiny puff of air, opening her mouth to reply when Misty continued by saying, “I mean which do you want first? We have all night.”

Her head snapped back on the couch, something inside her body stirring with delight. “Your fingers, then. Please.” Misty seemed pleased with the response, sitting back a bit to spread Cordelia’s legs as widely as could be in their compromised position. She pressed lightly at the flimsy underwear, reveling in the wetness that soaked through to her fingertips.

“You’re so goddamn sexy like this. All wet for me. I love it,” Misty commented airily as if Cordelia wasn’t three seconds away from coming just based on her voice. Thankfully, the blonde in her lap slipped her hand into the waistband and made direct contact with slippery wetness. For the second time that night, Misty inhaled sharply and whispered, “Holy fuck.” Quickly, she flung the underwear down lean legs and behind her, forgotten immediately.

 _Holy fuck, indeed_. Cordelia was positive she’d never been so wet in her life, already on the edge despite Misty barely moving her fingers. Seeming to notice how desperate Cordelia had gotten in the past few minutes, Misty ran her fingers through the wet folds and swiftly inside warm walls. Pausing with her eyes focused on where her two fingers were connected so indecently, Misty started taking in gulps of air in hopes of calming herself down. Their position, the way Cordelia started rolling her hips, and the slight chill in the air was driving her absolutely insane.

When her chest arched forward and up, brushing against Misty’s clothed body, every ounce of doubt inside Cordelia eradicated quicker than she could blink.

When she began moving her hips, trying to gain some friction, Misty began thrusting her two fingers languidly. Enjoying a slow pace to see if she could draw out low moans, Misty leaned forward to press kisses down the length of Cordelia’s neck and shoulder. “Baby,” she uttered with an off balance hard thrust, “You feel so fucking good.” Within minutes, Cordelia was trembling violently underneath her. Shifting positions to avoid a cramp in her hand, Misty deftly added a thumb to her clit and began rolling in broad circles.

Cordelia gripped Misty’s forearm in an attempt to keep it there, like it could hold them in some sort of time suspension. The blonde in her lap bent down to take a nipple between teeth and _tug_ when Cordelia came without warning, fluttering around Misty’s hand rapidly. As she whimpered at the force of her orgasm, Misty held her through the throes, bringing her down softly. Her free hand tangled itself in Cordelia’s soft hair as she whispered, “It’s okay, I’ve got you. I got you, baby.”

Pulling her fingers out slowly, Misty raised them to her own mouth, Cordelia watching the pornographic scene unfold with wide eyes. She nodded profusely when Misty offered the same two fingers to her, swirling her tongue around the digits to rid them of her taste.

Misty dropped her head on a soft shoulder and sighed. “You’re a fuckin’ dream, Cordelia.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever been told that one.” Cordelia was boneless, oversated, and too comfortable to even think about moving an inch in the next coming hours. It stayed that way, right up until Misty unabashedly began grinding herself down on one of Cordelia’s unclothed thighs.

 _"Jesus_.”

She sat up and flipped Misty to throw her on the couch as she crawled down on her knees. Bouncing softly at the change in position, Misty quickly shifted and spread her legs apart to allow ample space for Cordelia to work. She hiked her dress up and off her body, moaning as Cordelia took this spare moment to leave small marks of desire on the inside of her thighs. When she was done unclothing herself, Cordelia yanked her hips down to face level, pressing her nose at the tip where her clit was throbbing through thin fabric.

Cordelia had never felt like this before, with anyone. It was welcoming and exciting, as though she’d gone through her whole life waiting for this exact moment in time. If she hadn’t met Misty during her lifetime, she knew for certain a piece of her would have always felt missing. And it didn’t scare her, not at all- if anything, she’d never felt more content.

Nuzzling slowly, dragging this out to get back at Misty for her earlier teasing, Cordelia muffled her laughter into the inside of a milky white thigh at the anguish coming from above. Getting in one last prod with her nose, Cordelia sat back on her haunches and hooked her thumbs into the waistband, pulling the underwear down while maintaining eye contact. Misty’s blue eyes darkened with something lustful, making her pause to say, “This feels so right, with you.”

Misty nodded, “It’s never been like this before.” Debating for a second at the weight of her confession, she added, “I’m sorry if that scares you, I’m just at a point in life where I don’t deny signs the universe plants at my feet.”

Then Cordelia looked down at the glistening skin waiting for her, barely remembering to nod back at Misty’s words. She glanced back up, arousal rushing through her body once more as she mumbled, “Can I?”

Misty bit her bottom lip and nodded, arching her back and spreading her legs like an offering for greedy eyes. Without wasting time, Cordelia angled her head and ran a slick line up the length of Misty with her warm, wet tongue. She felt the jolt rocket through Misty’s body, so she splayed her palms over hip bones to keep her settled. Dipping her tongue once more, she lapped through the wetness, earning her small noises of encouragement that she thought could be louder. In an effort to lure out more of these sounds, Cordelia suctioned her lips around the bundle of nerves and sucked, hard.

A guttural moan shattered the sound barrier of the otherwise quiet room. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Cordelia thanked God that Mick had padded out of his doggy door sometime before Misty had reduced her to a quivering mess on the couch. Keening, Misty slung a leg over Cordelia’s shoulder and dug her heel lightly into her back, a silent request for more of _that_. Sitting up for better advantage, Cordelia dove back in, not caring about the wetness coating her lips and chin. If anything, it emboldened her that Misty was like this.

Just for her.

After a few long moments spent with her tongue making obscene noises against the wet skin, Cordelia pulled back and grinned at Misty’s despair. “ _Cordelia_ , what the fu-” Her words were cut off with a sharp groan as two fingers entered inside of her, thrusting roughly without so much as a warning. With a talented mouth back on her most sensitive area, the pleasure exploded inside Misty as she came seconds later all over Cordelia’s face and fingers.

The taut muscles of her back snapped and she was left tremoring in Cordelia’s embrace. Kissing delicately, careful to dance around sensitive spots, the blonde on her knees relished the sporadic jerks. She brushed her wet lips across the inside of a smooth thigh and licked it up, an elated sigh slipping out.

Misty scrambled to pull Cordelia up, angling them so she was lying down on the couch and Cordelia was on her chest. For several quiet moments, neither spoke as they caught their breath; ribcages rising in synchronization. Cordelia’s hair tickled Misty’s collarbone, so she twisted a lock between fingers and mumbled, “That was pretty good for only being with women ‘once or twice’.”

Cordelia smacked her side playfully, asking, “Pretty _good_? Didn’t you say something about having all night? That gives me plenty of time to perfect my skills.”

“I mean, it _was_ perfect. But if you insist,” Misty grinned. “No complaints here.”

From where she lay on the couch, Misty sat them up and stood, loose limbed and leggy. She slipped Cordelia’s blouse on, the fabric billowing behind her as she meandered toward the kitchen for some water.

Cordelia had never seen the shirt look so damn _good_.

As Cordelia pulled her panties back up, she had a fleeting moment of terror, a second of clarity where she felt as though she should feel dirty for what she’d done in the last hour. Having sex with a near stranger on their couch? In the middle of the day? Cordelia had always considered herself to be quite open minded, but this was definitely beyond her normal range of interactions. But the thing was- she didn’t feel anything but sheer happiness, like a piece of her soul had been repaired before the sun even went down, all by a certain blonde who had just returned with two glasses of water.

Cordelia graciously accepted the drink, gulping down half of it in record time. At Misty’s incredulous smirk, she chastised, “You wore me out, I’m just rehydrating for later.”

An understanding nod and chuckle. “Well in that case, do you want to order some food and watch Netflix before that?”

“I’d love nothing more.”

When Misty answered the door thirty minutes later in nothing but Cordelia’s half buttoned shirt and underwear, the pizza delivery man gawked for a split second before stumbling over the total. It made Cordelia howl with laughter as Misty shut the door, nearly feeling sorry for him that he wasn’t on the other side of it.

Somehow, she couldn’t find it in her to care. Not when Misty was all hers.

An hour later, they were back in their earlier position, Cordelia’s head resting in the dip between Misty’s shoulder and neck as they reclined comfortably on the couch. The younger blonde was running her fingernails over her scalp, causing Cordelia’s eyes to droop and almost lull into a deep, contented sleep. She forced her eyes open to focus on the last few minutes of the episode, knowing Misty was just as eager as she was to continue their blossoming _whatever this was_.

As the end credits rolled on an episode of The Office, Misty asked quietly, “Do you want to sleep here? With me? You don’t have to, I just thought maybe you’d like to stay,” she chewed her bottom lip between teeth and trailed off.

“Yes, I want to stay here. With you. But I don’t want to sleep yet,” Cordelia answered mischievously.

“Oh, that?” Misty faked a dramatic yawn, “You sure you’re not tired?”

She laughed heartily as Cordelia brought her hands up to hastily unbutton the shirt. Once Misty’s chest was exposed, she drug her tongue slowly over the swell of her breast until she made contact with a nipple. Misty keened underneath her, relenting, “Okay, _okay_ , I take it back.” The laughter and giddiness filled the room once more, and Cordelia could not remember a recent time she’d been so _happy_.

Misty stopped squirming away from Cordelia’s teasing, sighing with relief when the latter captured her lips into a fierce kiss. Languidly kissing for a few moments, Misty reluctantly pulled back and said, “Do you mind if I shower first?”

Missing the suggestive lilt in her tone, Cordelia wiped the lipstick smudge off her bottom lip and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Take your time.”

When Misty gave her one final parting glance and left the room, Cordelia waited until she heard the shower run to frantically search for her phone from where she’d tossed her pants behind the couch.

Seconds later, Coco’s upbeat voice floated through the phone, “Hey babygirl. Are we still on for dinner?”

“Coco, listen to me. I just had sex with Misty. On her couch. In the middle of the afternoon.”

The typical witty banter that Cordelia expected never came. Instead, in an unusual venture, Coco went silent.

Checking to make sure she’d heard that, Cordelia repeated, “Co, I just had se-“

“Yeah, I heard you. Hold on, I’m writing up wedding vows for you. What did I tell you? God, I should quit my job and set people up for a living.”

“Shut up,” Cordelia hissed, and then softer, “But tell me what to do.”

“What do you mean? I’m not explaining the physics of lesbian sex to you, babe. I love you, but I’m sure you figured it out just fine.”

“No-“ she rolled her eyes, “Not that part. We basically said we like each other and now she’s in the shower and I’m freaking the fuck out.”

“Okay, well, number one you need to calm down. This is good, right? I wouldn’t be this excited if I didn’t think she was perfect for you. This is really, really good.”

“Okay but-“

“Cordelia, shut up. I know you think you’re destined to be alone forever or some stupid shit, but you need to get it together before I smack some sense into you. You like her, right? Don’t fuck this up. 

“I do like her, Co. A lot, I think.”

“Well then what’s the problem? You’re fucking fine, don’t be a baby.”

Cordelia huffed out an incredulous laugh. “You’re right, there is no problem. I’m fine,” she squared her shoulders in an attempt at self confidence, “I'm fine.”

“Clearly. Anyway, did I hear you say she’s in the shower? And you’re not in there with her? Could you maybe hang up and fix that?”

“ _Oh_ ,” Cordelia breathed, “Maybe that’s why she looked at me funny when I told her to take her time.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re useless. I’m hanging up now. Love you.”

Cordelia echoed a faint, “love you” and hung up.

Giving herself a silent pep talk, Cordelia made her way towards where she thought Misty’s bedroom and shower were. When she reached the bathroom door, she pushed it open slowly and stepped inside.

Shucking off the robe Misty had loaned her, she pulled the curtain aside and asked, “Would you like some company?”

Misty somehow looked even more radiant than before, the water dripping down the valley of her chest like droplets of paint on a beautiful canvas of art. With hair plastered to her shoulders and eyelashes dripping with water, she looked like a vision Cordelia had combined from all her best dreams.

“I knew you would come around, I’ve been waiting so very patiently.”

“I’m sorry it took me so long."

Misty grinned as Cordelia pressed her flush against the wall, inhaling sharply at the cold tile on her back. “It’s okay, you’re here now.”

Cordelia didn’t answer, instead taking Misty’s cheeks between palms to kiss her again. Every kiss felt different than the last, as if each one held the power to change the rhythmic tempo of her heart. Everything in her body screamed in delight when she held Misty in her arms, making Cordelia think she’d been stumbling around dehydrated on a desert island for years and had just found her well of water.

After a few moments, Misty broke apart and let Cordelia explore the expanse of her neck and shoulders with a wandering mouth. As the muscles tensed up under her tongue, Cordelia gripped Misty’s hips and thrust them towards her own. Catching the drift immediately, the younger of the two spread her legs as widely as possible, sliding one of Cordelia’s thighs between them. At the slick surface available, she began rubbing her clit slowly at first, picking up speed when Cordelia ran a thumb over an already pebbled nipple.

“Oh _this_ ,” she gasped, clutching Cordelia’s shoulder for stability, “feels so fucking _good_.”

Cordelia merely hummed, enjoying the way Misty’s tiny body rutted against her leg for more friction. She gripped the back of her neck and knocked their foreheads together, whispering to the space in between, “I want you to come for me.”

And with a request like that, Misty couldn’t deny it even with a gun to her head. She ground down several more times, whimpering as Cordelia’s fingers continued teasing her breast. She began trembling, slowly at first, then broke out into full blown shakes as she came on Cordelia’s thigh. Crying out into the small space of the enclosed shower, she panted heavily as the pleasure dissipated into the air like smoke. Cordelia held her tightly through it all, softly soothing with tentative kisses.

“Hm,” Misty glanced down at the space where they were still connected, fingertips tensing and relaxing on a shoulder, “That was something.”

Cordelia couldn’t find it in her to reply, her throat constricting with unhinged emotion. She merely pulled back and stood under the water spray, opening her arms wide for Misty to step into. They stood together like that, steaming hot water cascading down their backs. Misty glanced down with hooded eyes and asked sweetly, “Can I wash your hair?" 

The older blonde nodded slowly, turning and allowing Misty to gather soft tresses and rub shampoo between them. It somehow felt more intimate than they’d been all evening, but Cordelia wasn’t in any position to downplay her peace of mind. After the shampoo had been rinsed and they were both clean, Misty turned the water off and stepped out onto a fluffy rug, handing Cordelia a towel.

Graciously accepting the plush towel, Cordelia wrapped herself in it like a warm hug fighting against the biting chill of the bathroom air. If you had told her this morning when she had cracked her eyes open at six am that this was how she’d been ending her night, she likely would have laughed in your face. But she was here now, and the natural progression of events had never felt so right.

As Misty ran some curl creme through her hair, Cordelia leaned against the counter opposite of her to wait. Glancing behind her in the mirror, Misty nonchalantly stated, “I wanna fuck you again.” Cordelia felt a tremor roll through her body. Fluttering her eyes shut, she replied, “That’s more than fine with me. You felt so good earlier.”

Misty giggled, a mischievous tone lacing her reply. “Not like that. Do you trust me?”

Wanting to reply that _of course_ , she trusted Misty with her entire life, Cordelia settled for a simple, “Yes.”

“Go wait on the bed for me.”

Doing as she was told, Cordelia waited patiently for Misty to emerge from the bathroom. When she stepped out and padded over lightly, Cordelia sat up on her elbows and bore a questioning look in her eyes. Misty dropped the towel, crawling on all fours to where Cordelia was splayed in the middle of the bed. Straddling her waist once more, she glanced down and smiled widely. “Hi.”

“Fancy meeting you here,” Cordelia joked, then cringed at her ridiculous attempt at breaking the ice.

Misty didn’t seem to notice or care, simply bending down to kiss her softly. When she sat back up, she fumbled blindly for something in her bedside table. Cordelia followed the path with her eyes, snapping her head back to make eye contact when it was revealed.

“Will you let me do this?” In her hand, she held a black harness and accompanying strap on that Cordelia swallowed thickly at the sight of. Without pausing to think about what Misty was asking for, she nodded frantically, scrambling to scoot over and let her slip it on. When the harness was secure around Misty’s hips, Cordelia glanced up innocently; eyelashes fluttering delicately, asking, “How do you want me?” She started to dance her fingertips lightly over the straps that hung snug against the swell of Misty’s thigh, keeping eye contact the whole time. When she reached the thick base of the strap, Cordelia took it fully in her hand and began stroking, egging Misty’s clear and recently reignited arousal on.

Misty hadn’t gotten that far into the process yet to answer the pressing question, the idea of taking Cordelia like this having clouded her cognitive thinking skills. Contemplating a moment, she responded, “Get on your stomach.” Cordelia’s nostrils flared as she quickly did as told, looking up behind her when the task was complete.

“What’s next?”

The taller blonde climbed off the bed and stood at the end of it, yanking Cordelia’s hips so that her lower half hung towards the floor. Kicking her legs apart, Misty ran her middle finger up the wet length, seeming pleased as she stated, “You’re so wet for me again. Practically dripping all over yourself,” she mused. Without giving her a chance to reply, Misty pursued forward until the strap on was inside Cordelia. The feeling of being completely filled like this took Cordelia by surprise, and she flexed her back muscles to push herself up on forearms. On the brink of near insanity, she glanced behind her to see Misty had barely even pushed herself all the way in. With a loud groan, she banged her forehead back down on the bed with a loud thump.

Moving slowly, Misty savored the low grunts of approval coming from below. Seeing Cordelia underneath her like this had Misty’s head spinning, and _God_ , it made her feel good. She kept the pace shallow and unhurried, only beginning to pick up the pace when Cordelia squirmed and bucked her hips back as far as she could. Gripping them and forcing them up to level with her own, Misty began pounding recklessly.

The woman on her stomach tugged fistfuls of bedsheet with both hands, feeling the silk brush up against her sensitive chest with every thrust. She was beginning to go delirious with arousal as Misty filled her up, and she made this _very_ clear through half broken sobs and not words.

Her entire body was on fire, the flames lashing up at her from the inside out like she’d been put through the dryer cycle and hung up to dry in the blazing hot sun. To meet the pace, she struggled to keep her lower half up, rewarded only when she felt Misty go deeper, harder. From behind her, Misty’s accent came out clear despite the breathlessness, “You feel so fucking nice around me like this,” she said. “I bet you’re close. I can feel it.”

In a venture that surprised the both of them, Misty gathered a handful of Cordelia’s hair and tugged on it at the base of her skull. Heaving, Cordelia arched her back in the perfect curve to give Misty the advantage of wrapping more hair around her wrist and pulling.

Snaking one hand under her stomach and down the soft plain to reach her aching clit, Cordelia gasped, “Oh _fuck_ , Misty,” then wailed, “I’m, _I’m_ going to-“

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before she began spasming and fluttering around the strap on inside her. With one single utterance of Misty’s name, it was over as quickly as it came, leaving behind a boneless mess in its wake.

Misty was positively enamored, her eyes and ears unable to focus on one solid thing. Her heart was racing, positive she’d never seen or _heard_ anything so stimulating like that before. She told Cordelia this through soothing gestures, pulling out slowly and immediately flipping her gently to press chaste kisses on her stomach. Kicking the harness off and tossing it off the side of the bed, Misty crawled up and took Cordelia in her arms.

Brushing a lock of Cordelia’s sweaty hair behind an ear, she giggled, “I guess we should have showered after that.” She cracked a wide smile at Cordelia’s post-orgasmic haze, asking, “Are you alright?”

Tight-lipped with her eyes still squeezed shut, Cordelia murmured, “No. You’ve just ruined every future sexual experience for me. Are you happy with yourself?”

Misty traipsed her pointer finger across Cordelia’s breast, replying, “Well I could be a little happier if you let me do that again.”

She laughed when her hand was smacked away. “But I’ll be satisfied to have you here with me tonight,” she conceded, still keeping her hand on Cordelia’s waist. “Will you stay?”

Cordelia nodded and pulled Misty in for a kiss. They shifted until they found a comfortable position, Misty’s head cradled in the crook of Cordelia’s neck. For several long, drawn out moments, they were quiet. The house had settled into a low hum and Cordelia was sure she’d never felt more serene. Then Mick, all one hundred and ten pounds of him, pushed his way through the cracked bedroom door and jumped up into the unoccupied space between their legs.

Misty cooed and awed over him for a moment, looking up to then apologize to her bed mate, “M’sorry. He usually sleeps right where you are. He’s gonna be here all night. Is that alright? I can kick him out,“ she trailed off.

“Mist, it’s fine,” Cordelia promised, “He’s fine.”

Misty searched her eyes for a moment, finally nodding and accepting the response. “Sorry, I’m just,” she shook her head. “I’m not used to having someone here with me. I’m a bit of a loner.”

Cordelia’s heart ached. The confession made her want to stay here with Misty, forever and a day. Her personal feelings aside, there were no words in the English language to describe how incredibly at ease she felt here. It was sickening almost, the way she fit so comfortably into Misty’s world like she’d belonged there this whole time. Like the last piece of a thousand piece puzzle had just been put into place. It’s almost as if Misty had been waiting patiently with arms open wide for her to step into.

“It’s alright, but if you’re used to being alone and want me to leave I promise there will be no hard feelings.” Cordelia was nearly positive that wasn’t the scenario, but old feelings of inadequacy surfaced to the top.

Misty propped her head up, eyes frantic and wild. In a rush to make it clear that wasn’t the case at all, she promptly said, “No. No, I just- I need you to be patient with me. I’m a little overwhelmed by this. By you,” she admitted.

“Oh good,” Cordelia started, then, “I’m a little overwhelmed too.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” With a toothy grin, Misty put Cordelia back at ease as she relaxed once more. “Will you let me take you out tomorrow?”

Cordelia felt herself nod against the curve of smooth skin. “Anything you want.”

“That’s good, Cordelia. You wanna know something?” Without waiting for a reply she continued, ”I think I really fucking like you. 

“Misty?”

“Hm?”

“I think I really fucking like you, too.”  
  
  



	2. I've been losing you, one day at a time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We were in the gold room where everyone finally gets what they want, so I said
> 
> What do you want, sweetheart?
> 
> and you said
> 
> Kiss me.
> 
> -Richard Siken

 

_and is it over now?_

_do you know how,_

_pick up the pieces and go home?_

***

The first thing Cordelia felt when she wakes from a deep slumber was a warm tongue meandering gently up her jawline. Leaning up into it, she kept her eyes squeezed shut as she murmured, “Mm. That feels really nice, baby.”

The next thing she heard was a soft snort, coming from a distance away which meant- whoever was giving her a wet kiss was _not_ Misty.

And the first thing she saw when she cracked her eyes open was a great dane, who immediately launched his lithe body on top of Cordelia’s once he saw she was awake. Excitedly panting and trying to lick at her face with all his might, she squirmed and laughed under the slobbering tongue trying to attack her face. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, she looked over to Misty, who was sat at her vanity roaring with laughter. 

“That feel nice, baby?” She mocked, standing up to shoo Mick off Cordelia. “I would say I’m sorry, but that was kinda funny.”

“Yeah, extremely,” Cordelia rolled her eyes. She arched her head up, greedily asking for a human kiss.

Misty pulled back, wrinkling her nose cutely. “Smells like dog.” Cordelia mock-scowled, replying, “Says the person who let it happen.”

“It was just too cute, I couldn’t find it in me to stop him,” she squealed as Cordelia tickled at her sides. Squirming around until she flopped on the unoccupied space next to her, Misty gripped the back of her neck and kissed her fully. “There, are you happy now?”

“I suppose I may be,” came the satisfied reply. The pair eventually wandered towards the bathroom, where Misty offered her a new toothbrush as she uselessly ran a comb through her wild, untameable hair. Afterwards, they shared a quick breakfast of eggs and toast that Cordelia only slightly burnt, thank you _very_ much.

After crawling back in bed and spending a few breathless moments with wandering touches, Cordelia reluctantly pulled back from the embrace. Grateful that Misty was similarly disheveled, she couldn’t help the beaming smile that rivaled the sun filtering in through the curtains, cascading twinkling light to every corner of the room. It was as if Misty took every moment and made it better than the last. “I know where I want to take you later, after we drop your keys off with the towing company.”

Misty grinned, already excited at the idea of spending all day with her. “Do I get to know where?”

Cordelia tensed up, nervous and unsure as to whether or not Misty would even enjoy the place she’d decided on. This was, of course after Misty had fallen asleep and Cordelia was too wired and overwhelmed with all the possibilities to sleep. She needed this to be perfect, it wasn’t every day that a divine being dropped itself on her doorstep and was willing to date her.

“Well, I thought maybe you’d enjoy the Museum of Natural History? I read they have this new exhibit about the anatomical structure of animals that sounds really fun. And since you’re into biology and all, I just thought, maybe...I don’t know.” She cut herself off before the nervous rambling began.

Misty went silent for a beat, and Cordelia was just about to backtrack to square one when the soft, angelic, and slightly gruff morning voice filled the room. It enveloped Cordelia’s heart and _squeezed_ , giving her a vision of what her future could look like. And it was _exquisite._

“That,” she sweetly sighed, “is the most amazin’ date anyone’s ever taken me on.”

“Oh,” Cordelia let out the breath she’d been holding. “So that’s okay? I thought of like, a hundred options, we can also go to-”

“Cordelia,” she laced their fingers together, “Stop talking and kiss me.”

So she did.

Forty-five minutes and countless copped feels later, Cordelia sat on the edge of Misty’s bed as the latter dug through the depths of her closet. They’d spent so much time in bed feeling each other up that Cordelia had no time to run home for an outfit change before the tow truck got to Misty’s car. Misty was adorably perplexed with what to give her, seeing as the vintage dresses and shawls she owned weren’t _exactly_ Cordelia’s style.

“Mist- anything you give me is fine. I’ll wear sweatpants and a t-shirt,” she half-joked. Cordelia had never actually gone out of the house wearing anything less than immaculate, but there was a first time for everything.

“No, I know I have a pair of jeans somewhere in the back- aha!” she emerged triumphantly holding a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, “Found them. They should fit that cute lil’ ass of yours.”

Cordelia blushed delicately as Misty tossed them to her. She pulled them on, buttoned them, and stood in front of the mirror. Twirling around a few times, she admired the way they fit snug against her waist and hips. Turning to tell Misty she may be keeping the pair of jeans, she was smacked in the face with a simple black and white striped t-shirt. Giggling heartily, she slipped it on and turned once more to face Misty.

“How do I look?”

Poking her head out of the closet from where she was getting herself dressed, Misty nonchalantly stated, “I like you better without clothes, but you do look real cute in mine.” She emerged once more dressed in her wire rimmed glasses and a pair of bell bottoms straight from the seventies, matched with a long sleeved boho looking shirt that cropped right above her belly button.

Cordelia wanted to lick the exposed skin.

After stealing a dozen more kisses and saying goodbye to Mick, Cordelia ushered them towards her car, urging haste or they’ll be late getting to her car. She barely took notice to the larger than usual tote Misty flung in her backseat before crawling into the passenger side. As she buckled her seatbelt, Misty thanked Cordelia by saying, “I appreciate you drivin’ me back to school to drop my keys off. Sorry it’s such an inconvenience.”

Pushing her sunglasses further up her nose, Cordelia replied, “I don’t mind at all, really. I need to pick up some papers I left in my office anyway.”

“So we have to swing by your office before the museum?” Misty sounded calm, but Cordelia could tell there was something brimming on the surface there.

“Yeah, is that alright? It should be quick.”

“Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

The rest of the short drive was plagued by the low hums coming from Cordelia’s passenger, who had insisted on linking her phone with the car’s bluetooth for the ten minute ride. Within seconds, a seventies playlist was thumping through her speakers, and Cordelia had never felt more alive. She couldn’t tell if it was the upbeat music or the woman next to her, but everything just felt so _right_. Maybe Cordelia had denied herself romance for so long because her heart had handcrafted the idea in her head on what she’d been waiting for. And maybe it was this.

When they pulled up to the school, Cordelia parked haphazardly in the empty parking lot next to Misty’s car, while she hopped out and handed the keys off to the tow trucker. After exchanging a few pleasantries and the address to the mechanic where her tire would be fixed, Cordelia heard Misty thank him and hop back in the car. “Okay, we’re good.”

“Perfect.” She drove them around the building to park in the space in front of her office. “I’ll be in and out.”

Misty mumbled something that sounded a lot like, “I know something else that’ll be in and out of you.”

“What was that?”

“Can I come to your office with you?”

“If you want, but I’m really only grabbing some- _oh_.” Cordelia looked over and caught the sexual undertones written all over Misty’s face; the fluttering eyelashes and smirk that was growing wider by the second. “You want to come to my office,” she said slowly, her mind finally catching up with the hints Misty had been throwing at her all morning.

Misty pouted, somehow making the facial expression sexier than it seemed as she placed her hand up Cordelia’s thigh. “Is that okay?”

Cordelia’s heart was already pounding, her skin flushed with heat that likely gave her a full body sheen. “Yes,” she cleared her throat, “Absolutely.” They got out and she waited as Misty grabbed her bag from the back seat. Suddenly, the unusual choice of tote made _much_ more sense to her.

“How’d you know to bring that?” Cordelia gestured towards the bag.

“I can’t reveal all my secrets now, can I?” Misty replied. Cordelia merely sighed and grabbed her hand to drag down the hallway.

After the longest minute and a half of her life that it took to reach her office, Cordelia unlocked the door and flung it open. Misty immediately corralled her inside, kicking the door closed with her foot and pushing her backwards until her lower half hit the edge of her desk. “Ever since I saw you in here yesterday I’ve been wanting to do this.”

Cordelia shucked in a breath, already knowing whatever she had planned wouldn’t last long at all. Yesterday seemed so far in the past that she struggled to recall the details of their meeting. “And what exactly is that?”

She flicked her gaze between Cordelia’s lean legs and the sturdy wooden desk behind her. Sounding like she was giving simple directions or talking about the weather, she answered, “Bending you over that desk.”

The older of the two pondered for a moment, finally gathering her wits and shot back, “What if I wanted to ride you instead?”

Misty clearly had not been expecting that, a flush of red heat blooming on her otherwise milky white chest. She found herself nodding, agreeing to that because _yeah_ , that would be just as good. After stripping herself of her jeans and top, she waited in the loveseat that was miraculously large enough for what their forthcoming plans held. Pulling the harness up over her waist and fastening the straps, she flashed Cordelia a cocky grin; who seemed overstimulated without having being touched yet.

Cordelia stripped herself slowly, giving Misty small teases until she was left in her underwear and bra. Stalking over to the chair pointedly, she took her time in straddling Misty’s lap.

“Betcha never thought you’d be doin’ this in your office, huh?” Misty questioned as Cordelia bore down against the strap on angled between her thighs, enjoying the way it pressed hard against the flimsy barrier. After wrenching her eyes away from the sight, Cordelia looked up and cockily answered, “Who says I haven’t done this?” She sat up on haunches to fling her underwear down past her knees until they dangled off her left ankle. Misty sighed, head snapping back.

“You really fucking surprise me sometimes, Cordelia Goode. You know that?”

Cordelia grinned. “I’ve been told once or twice.” She took the strap on in her hand and listened to the whimper it evoked from Misty, stroking it with an impish look in her eyes. Clearly enjoying being in control, Cordelia leaned down and whispered, “You look really hot like this. Makes me wanna fuck y-”

Her words were cut off with a blazing kiss. Groaning into it, letting Misty cup the back of her neck with a sturdy hand, Cordelia dropped her act and finally angled the strap until it was pressed inside of her.

Everything went silent for a beat. Cordelia would swear in the moment that the low hum from the vent stopped, the birds outside the window finished their song, and even Misty’s breaths fanning across her face faltered. She’d never felt so _full_ , so _excited_ , so _safe_ in anyone’s arms. Her heart thundering in her chest just _had_ to be noticeable. Misty’s low gasp shattered the sound barrier and filled Cordelia with reckless abandon. Gripping her shoulder with a well placed palm for stability, the woman on top began riding.

Breathless and already panting, she rolled her hips back and forth as Misty lifted her own up, trying to keep a steady pace and chase mutual satisfaction. She quickly gave up; instead focusing on holding onto Cordelia’s hips to aide the animalistic pace the latter had taken on. The older blonde bounced up and down with clear intention, not in the mood to draw this erotic process out any longer than it needed to.

Neither seemed to have any complaints.

From where her eyes were focused on watching Cordelia take her strap in deeper, Misty finally jerked her gaze away and up to eye level for a good look at what she’d gotten herself into. In this position, her face was at the perfect angle to put her lips on Cordelia’s chest which bounced delightfully with every thrust. It made her mouth water. Removing one hand, she maneuvered it around to deftly unhook the bra that was keeping her from what she wanted to see most. Cordelia was too far past the ability to comment, merely eliciting a sharp groan at the act. When Misty’s tongue finally reached its destination at a pebbled nipple, Cordelia bucked down with more ferocity.

Keeping one hand on the curve between her thigh and waist, Misty snuck her free hand to grip Cordelia’s ass, smacking it once, then again a dozen more times when the response was enthusiastic. The stimulation coming from all areas was ridiculously overwhelming for Cordelia, as she ground down and brushed her clit against the flat surface when she took the full strap inside her walls. And thank _God_ Misty caught the hint, rolling a thumb roughly over her sensitive clit. With Misty’s tongue on her nipple, one palm flattened against her ass, and a thumb rubbing her so delicately, Cordelia froze, every muscle tensing up as she came.

Loudly.

As soon as her taut body snapped and she began shaking, Misty lifted her effortlessly from where they were connected and angled her sideways to cradle in her arms. Brushing sweaty hair away from her eyes, she gently soothed the continuous full body tremors and relinquishing jerks. When Cordelia could finally find her voice, it came out weak and tired. “You’re really mean.” The following laugh sounded like the greatest gift she had ever received.

Limbless and still buzzing, Cordelia heaved herself out of Misty’s warm embrace and got down on two knees. Yanking Misty’s hips so they hung further off the chair, she crawled in between her legs and boldly licked the strap on still harnessed around her waist. When Misty cradled the side of her head and murmured, “ _oh_ , _baby_ ” Cordelia took it in her mouth and sucked it gently between lips, keeping prolonged eye contact.

Once she was satisfied it was cleaned off, she released it with an audible pop and unhooked the straps from Misty’s body, pulling her underwear down with it to free the skin there for greedy eyes. “Did you enjoy that?” Cordelia wondered cheekily, stars in her eyes as she dipped her two fingers through the wetness pooled there, because _obviously_ she did. Misty mewled and nodded forcefully, much to Cordelia’s amusement.

Humming her content to be on her knees for Misty, Cordelia decided she wasn’t in the mood to drag this out either. She shoved two fingers inside and started thrusting, hitting the perfect spot that made the younger blonde cry out. Scrambling to sit up and spread her thighs even wider, Misty gasped out at the feeling of being so completely _filled_ by Cordelia.

Cordelia herself had rested her cheek on the inside of a cool thigh so she could languidly watch her fingers twist in and out, so achingly slowly that with every passing second Misty was sure the next would be her last. She could do little but lie there and listen to Cordelia’s sweet words of encouragement, telling Misty how _good_ she felt, how _wet_ she made her, how _hard_ she’ll come _‘just for me, baby.’_

When Cordelia added another finger and thumb to rub softly over Misty’s clit, the latter came with a moan from deep inside her chest, fluttering rapidly and crying out into the otherwise empty office. Pulling her fingers out slowly as to not cause distress, Cordelia pushed them past plump lips and licked between them to garner the taste she wanted so badly. It made her head swim, emboldening just enough to get a second taste. As she pressed Misty’s thighs apart once more to dip her head in between them, Misty halted the movement and shook her head.

“Let me hold you, please.”

Silently nodding, Cordelia clambered back up into Misty’s lap, where they sat quietly. Their passing moment in time was filled with soft gestures; Misty twirling a lock of Cordelia’s hair, Cordelia brushing her fingertips softly over Misty’s forearm; one palm splayed possessively on her chest, Misty humming the tune of some oldies rock anthem Cordelia couldn’t place.

For nearly an hour, they didn’t share words, and Cordelia was almost afraid Misty had fallen asleep when she began speaking softly. “I meant what I said when I told you that I really like you.”

Cordelia hummed, replying, “I know, I did too.”

“I don’t want you to think this is just like, a sex thing, because I mean- it _is_ but I also want to date you. And be together, just the two of us. It’s all I can think about. I almost wish it scared me, so I can tell if I’m being reckless or not, but it doesn’t. I only want to be with you.”

At the staggering weight of Misty’s confession, Cordelia could feel her heartbeat rattling in her chest cavity. She nearly put her hand over it to make sure it wasn’t actually visible to the naked eye. Taking a moment to process the words, she finally spoke, making sure it sounded as serious as she felt. “I don’t want you to think you have anything to be afraid of. I want to be with you too. So badly it makes me hurt to think about leaving you. And who knows, maybe we are being reckless. Who’s to say?” She bit her bottom lip and finally looked Misty in the eye. “And if that’s what we want, then we might as well follow the path. Together.”

Misty agreed with a simple, “Okay," and leaned up to give her the softest kiss, the type of kiss people yearn for their entire lives. It made Cordelia turn to a puddle, her body weight sagging even further into strong arms. For several moments, all was right in the world.

Eventually, the pair made it up and out of the chair. Misty helped Cordelia tug on her jeans, buttoning them for her with the softest gesture. She then pulled their shared shirt over her head and kissed the tip of her nose when it swung loosely over her torso. It made Cordelia smile, as she helped Misty pull her own jeans and shirt on. Once she fastened the belt around Misty’s waist, Cordelia stood up; knees cracking with the movement. “Are you ready for the museum?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be, honeybee.”

Cordelia drove them to the museum, Misty acting as DJ once again for the short ride. In the midday light, with everything so ironically perfect, Cordelia had to focus extra hard on the road. It was difficult, when all she wanted to do was watch her companion thrive. It’s like Misty was a different person in the daylight; like she flourished so greatly with the sun beaming down on her, illuminating her golden hair and making her _glow_. It’s almost as if the plants and flora and every other beautiful thing on this earth reached towards her, like Misty gave them the ability to grow strong and proud.

And in some ways, she did.

After pulling into a parking spot at the museum, Cordelia hurriedly got out and opened the door for Misty. “Such a gentleman, you are,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

Cordelia shyly grabbed her hand as they walked towards the entrance, their hip bones knocking into each other’s with every step. “For you, any time.”

After Misty insisted on paying for both their tickets, she grabbed Cordelia’s hand once more when they reached the first exhibit. Cordelia noted the way Misty held on to her like she may float away if the connection was untethered, so she gripped back just as tightly.

She couldn’t risk Misty floating up to heaven, even if that is where she belonged.

The two walked slowly from room to room together, still not letting go of each others grip. Cordelia was unraveling at the seams, probably too giddy and proud for everyone around her. But here’s the thing- she didn’t care. Especially not when Misty pointed out every single thing that piqued her interest, excitedly fawning over them with this adorable look in her eyes that made Cordelia want to buy out the entire building for her, savings be damned.

“Delia, look at this,” she sighed, her eyes fixated on an exhibit depicting a scene straight out of cavemen days, complete with a woolly mammoth and two men with spears. “I would kill to see one a’ those babies in real life.”

“The cavemen? I can just take you to meet my ex boyfriend, the resemblance is uncanny,” Cordelia joked. Misty poked her side and scrunched her eyes up with laughter.

When they finally reached the exhibit Misty had been chattering on about for an hour now, she paused in the doorway. Cordelia had kept walking ahead of her, feeling the jolt stop her when Misty didn’t keep moving. She turned and studied the forlorn look plastered on the younger blonde’s face. “Are you alright?”

Misty quickly nodded, wiping the lone tear that slipped from the corner of her eye. “Yeah, I’m just really fucking happy right now,” she sniffed. “No one’s ever cared to really learn about my interests. I’m usually taken to a fancy dinner, you know? I mean I like to eat, but damn. I love this shit.”

Cordelia couldn’t help the feeling of relief wash over her, knowing she’d done something _special_ for Misty. It made her feel like the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet, and now she couldn’t wait to learn everything about Misty. All her likes, dislikes, favorite colors, and favorite minor television show characters. All of it. She just hoped her lifetime was enough time. If all went according to plan, maybe they’d have the afterlife together too.

She could only be so lucky.

“Well, I’m glad to be of service. Shall we?” Cordelia offered her hand once more and they strolled through. Misty’s quiet gasp of amusement was enough to sustain Cordelia’s well of happiness for the rest of the day and probably far into next week. Excitedly bouncing from room to room, Misty filled the blanks in for Cordelia, who admitted quietly that biology was not her strong suit in school.

“And this,” she pointed to a structure of a life size whale, “Is the fluke. It propels them through water and is streamlined to- _oh_ shit. I’m boring you to death, aren’t I?” She clamped a palm over her mouth. “I’m sorry, once I get started I don’t stop.”

“No,” Cordelia was quick to refuse that concept, “I’m really enjoying myself. You’re very cute when you talk about your interests. It’s partially why I brought you here,” she admitted.

“Hm,” Misty pursed her lips. “It’s cute that you think I’m cute. But you know what I think is cute?”

Cordelia’s breath caught, as it always did when Misty’s voice was low and breathy like this. “What’s that?”

Misty brushed her nose against Cordelia’s cheek, just close enough for her to hear, accent gritty and sexy and arousing in all the best ways. “Those sounds you make when you kiss me. And the ones you make when you come for me, but we can’t do that part here, unfortunately.”

She pulled back, eyes alight with something sinful as she giggled at Cordelia’s own shut eyes and resounding deep sigh. “You’ll be the death of me, Misty Day. I swear it.”

Merely pulling her to an empty hallway and pushing her up against the wall, Misty tilted her head and questioned, “What was that you were saying?"

At the feigned innocence, Cordelia had forgone every qualm. “Nothing at all. Kiss me, please. Please,” she begged. It didn’t matter if they were in public, their location was just secluded enough for her to lose all sense of common rationality and give up all senses to Misty.

It wasn’t a plea Misty took lightly, as she kissed and held Cordelia with more softness and affection than she’d ever had the pleasure of feeling. One kiss turned into two, and all of a sudden they were making out like teenagers in an empty gym after school. Careful not to push things _too_ far, Cordelia took Misty’s head in her palms and arched into it, her chest brushing just enough to borderline on obscene. Moaning softly, hoping that everyone else in the museum had subsequently fucked off and gone home, the older of the two slipped her tongue into Misty’s mouth.

Knocking their teeth together, Misty responded with enthusiasm and smiled at the position they found themselves in. Pulling back, lips wet and plump, she asked, “I forgot to ask if you were having fun yet?”

“Shut up,” Cordelia mumbled back, pulling her back in.

Just as she went to slip her tongue back down Misty’s throat, she heard someone clear their throat from off to her side. Huffing quietly, still keeping her eyes shut, she hoped valiantly that it was a security guard or middle aged man just _so_ offended that she could tell them to bluntly fuck off. When the throat was cleared again, louder this time, Cordelia released Misty’s cheeks and went to tell the person to keep moving.

When she came face to face with their boss, the president of the university, all her thinly veiled insults were blown to shit. Cordelia’s throat clenched, unable to swallow at the look of disapproval they were on the receiving end of. She all but shoved Misty off her, who yelped a little and stumbled backwards.

Immediately searching for the intrusion, she looked over and gasped. “President Taylor. Hello,” Misty brushed her untamed hair down and tried to straighten her blouse from where Cordelia had grasped a handful of it. “How are you?”

“Ladies,” Richard Taylor greeted them, “I see we’re enjoying the exhibit today.”

President Taylor had a reputation at their school for being, well, a bit of a dick. Cordelia tried to avoid him at all costs, keeping her department afloat with as little input from him as possible. Clearly, she and Misty had been caught in the worst possible situation. Aside from embarrassment, it was likely the two of them would be the subject of ridicule over this for weeks to come. He wasn’t one for public displays of affection, barely even happiness in general. It was campus wonder how he’d been married for fifteen years when he didn’t even hold hands with his wife at university events.

“Yeah,” Misty was quick to change the subject, “Did you enjoy the-“

Richard cut her off. “It’s been nice to see you two, but I do hope you reconsider your,” he glanced at the space between the two of them, “public persona. We are in a museum after all. Not in the privacy of our own homes. Reputations matter.”

As if they needed reminding.

Cordelia had so much to say on the tip of her tongue, mostly a string of curse words and phrases that told him to bite her, but she instead she took the high road and apologized profusely. “Of course, we just- we got carried away I guess.” She swiped at her bottom lip in attempts to rid it of Misty’s chapstick, only furthering her embarrassment when Richard caught her doing so.

“Carried away,” he repeated; eyebrows raised, “I suppose that’s one word for it. Carry on, ladies. Just remember my advice. I’ll see you both at school on Monday.”

The two echoed their goodbyes and waited until Richard was out of earshot to release the pent up air in their lungs. “Should we-“

“Yeah, we should go,” Cordelia unwillingly resigned. “Before he catches us talking or, God forbid, holding hands. What a travesty.”

“I’m sorry,” Misty offered quietly, then chuckled, “I guess I shouldn’t have pushed you against the wall.”

Cordelia brightened up at the reminder, tossing her head back and forth, “Don’t apologize for that, I enjoyed it. A lot.”

“Seemed like it,” she smirked.

Cordelia grasped her hand once more, deciding she didn’t care who saw. “I’m sorry about President Taylor,” she sighed, “I never would have thought he’d be here, of all places.”

“It’s okay,” Misty shook her head, “My car is probably ready anyway. Plus what I had in mind for you isn’t exactly museum friendly.”

“Fuck me,” Cordelia swore under her breath.

“Don’t worry, I plan to.”

As they drove off Cordelia formulated a plan in her mind, then relayed it to Misty. “I’ll drop you off to pick up your car, and then later you can come to my house and I’ll make you dinner. Is that alright?”

“Sounds perfect to me, baby.” As they pulled into the mechanic via the directions Misty gave her, Cordelia went to turn and kiss her goodbye when her phone chirped annoyingly, alerting her to a call.

“Sorry- it’s Coco, she usually doesn’t call unless it’s important,” Cordelia apologized.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby, sorry to bother you. Have you checked your email? I wanted to make sure you knew what was going on.”

“My email? No, I’m- I took Misty to the museum and haven’t had a chance. Why, what’s wrong?”

Coco paused for a split second, then replying in a much more muted tone than usual, “Just call me after you read it, yeah? Love you.” She hung up, leaving Cordelia flabbergasted and unprepared for what she was about to read.

“What’s up with your email?” Misty wondered.

“I don’t know, let me check it right now.”

Sick to her stomach at the possibilities of what Coco was worried about, Cordelia opened her email app and refreshed the page until the glaring subject line stood out at her.

With trembling lips, she read it aloud.

“ _Dear faculty and staff,_

_It’s come to my attention that certain staff members have taken it upon themselves to engage in outside relationships, which happens to be against school rules._

_If you are included in my previous statement, please take a moment to re-educate yourself with our handbook of rules, most specifically chapter three, titled, ‘Faculty Relationships.’_

_I think you’ll find this page most clarifying. If I become aware of any continued relationship, or newer ones that haven’t been brought to my attention yet, I will have no choice but to terminate said faculty members involved._

_I look forward to your cooperation,_

_Richard Taylor_.”

Cordelia trailed off evenly, her voice steady despite her mind running at full speed towards disaster. She read the email over and over with rapid movements, refusing to believe that she had just had the displeasure of reading that with her own two eyes.

Misty broke the silence, surprising Cordelia at how incredibly _angry_ she sounded. It was weird, coming from someone so tiny and angelic. “What a fucking piece of shit,” she spit out, “How dare he? I’m writing an email back telling him to fuck out of my personal life.” She pulled her phone out and hit reply to the email, already furiously typing.

“Mist-“ Cordelia placed a gentle palm on her thigh. “That’s probably not the best idea.”

“ _Wait-_ you agree with him?” Misty seemed incredulous.

“No, I don’t. But it is in the handbook, and he has the right to tell us what to do and what not to do while he’s acting as president.”

Misty sat back in shock, and Cordelia could see her cognitive gears working overtime to process their situation. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that when she opened them back up, they’d miraculously find themselves back on the right plane of existence where this hadn’t happened. Clearly, that was a stretch as she still found the email pulled up on the phone in her lap.

Upper lip quivering, Misty asked, “What does this mean for us?”

“It means you’re going to get out and pick up your car, and I’m going to call you later and we’ll work it out. I don’t have the capacity to figure it out right now. Okay?”

Misty whispered back an _okay_ that didn’t sound like she’d accepted that reply, but what was she to do?

With one parting glance at Cordelia’s face, Misty climbed out and shut the car door. Cordelia herself waited until Misty was inside and she had pulled off down the block before bursting into tears and had to pull over. Fumbling for the box of tissues she kept stashed in the glove compartment, she blew her nose and let herself heave out every emotion for what seemed like hours.

Pulling herself together just enough to put her blinker on and merge back onto the highway, Cordelia drove herself to the only other place that felt like home.

Within minutes she was knocking on Coco’s door, shivering from the chill she felt deep inside her bones despite the warm sun beating down on her back. When her best friend opened the door and gave her that _look_ , Cordelia broke down again into full blown hysteria. Ushering her inside quickly, Coco shushed her and shoved her gently in her bedroom.

Kicking off her shoes and crawling up into the fluffy pillows, Cordelia sat at the head and pulled her knees to her chest. Rocking herself back and forth, she waited as Coco paused her episode of some trashy reality television show and climbed in next to her. When she felt Coco’s strong arms wrap around her thin frame, Cordelia sobbed even harder.

“It’s okay, babe,” she whispered. “Everything will be fine. You can still see her at school and date in private.”

“Co, I can’t,” Cordelia blubbered, “We’re the reason he sent the email. He caught us at the museum.”

“Oh, shit.”

Every part of Cordelia’s body hurt. From the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, she ached with blinding, white hot heat. This scenario had never once crossed her mind, and now that she was here, it was like she was standing in an open field watching a tornado come swirling towards her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“I have to tell her it’s over.” Cordelia decided, likely the worst conclusion she’d ever have to come to in her life.

“Wait a second, don’t be rash here,” Coco tried, but was quickly overpowered when Cordelia sat up and grabbed her phone.

“I’m not being rash, I’m being the most rational I’ve been all week. I cannot risk her losing her job for me, I would never ask that of her. It’s fine,” she sighed, not sounding fine at all.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I have to be.”

Ten seconds later, Coco could hear Misty’s tiny voice through the phone. She got off the bed to give them privacy, going to get water and the large bottle of wine from her fridge.

“Hi, Cordelia.”

“How’s your car?” She tried pointlessly.

Misty ignored her question. “What are we going to do?”

“I think,” Cordelia started, her voice already breaking under the tremendous strain of emotion, “We should go our separate ways so we don’t lose our jobs. I don’t want this hanging over your head. I can’t ask you to do that for me.”

“You came to that conclusion real quick, didn’t even ask me what I thought.”

“Misty, please. This isn’t easy for me, I promise you. It’s just better this way. We can still see each other at work and have coffee or whatever as colleagues. I’m not going to stand idly by and let him fire you. I won’t.”

The soft sigh on the other end of the phone shattered Cordelia’s heart into a million little pieces. “If you think that’s best. I guess this is goodbye, then. Just drop my clothes off at school this week.”

Cordelia had forgotten she’d been wearing her outfit, fleetingly setting a reminder to google if tears stained. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Misty hung up without a second thought, leaving Cordelia a sobbing mess for the millionth time that hour. Coco gently pushed the door to her room back open. “Oh, honey, you seem like you have it kinda bad,” she commented, handing Cordelia a nearly full glass of wine. “Here, drink this, you’ll feel better.”

Gulping down half the wine in record time, Cordelia nodded aimlessly. “Yeah, I think I do. But what else was I supposed to do? Continue this and get us both fired? We would have a target on our backs.”

“I suppose you would. How did she take it?”

The tears began falling again, and Cordelia’s attempts to brush them away was rendered useless when they spilled out onto Coco’s immaculate comforter. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she bawled. “She sounded so upset.”

“I don’t care about the sheets.” Coco took her back into her arms, swaying them back and forth and letting Cordelia get her shirt snotty and wet from the droplets of tears. “It’s going to be okay, you know? It’s not like you won’t see her across the hall.”

“That’s even worse,” Cordelia wailed. “She’ll be so close to me and still so far away.” She felt comforted being in Coco’s arms, but they weren’t the arms she wanted so desperately wrapped around her at the moment.

“Okay, shit, I’m really trying here. Drink some more wine.”

“It’s okay,” she sniffled, “I love you. Thanks for being here.”

“You know too much about me, I have to be here. I promise you it’ll be okay, though. At least you didn’t elope or some crazy shit.”

“Yeah,” her laughter bubbled out, “You’re right about that.”

For several hours Coco soothed Cordelia’s tears until they dried up, leaving streaks of mascara plastered on her cheeks like a beauty queen gone rogue. After twilight began spreading its muted light through the curtains, Cordelia extracted herself from the embrace and promised to call when she got home. Pulling up to her driveway, she thought back to earlier this morning when she’d been so excited to bring Misty here and show off the side of her not everyone was privy to seeing. It hurt, coming home alone like this. She’d had so many plans for Misty, spanning months in advance and now there was nothing. Not even the privilege of a phone call to say goodnight.

She’d been broken up with before, of course. She had also been the person breaking up a relationship, but this one hurt on a more visceral level than she could ever remember feeling. Maybe it was because she felt a piece of her soul had intertwined so easily with Misty’s, or maybe she’d just gotten so caught up in those blue eyes that nothing else mattered. Either way, she wasn’t particularly excited at anything the near future held.

***

The first day back was hard.

Not only did she spend an hour fretting over her outfit, but the process subsequently made her late for class. Which meant she sped through a yellow light that turned red just as she hit the gas. Which meant she got pulled over immediately. The cop was lovely enough to give her a warning and thank _God_ for that, because Cordelia wasn’t sure she could handle much more stress jam packed into one day.

She taught her classes in the morning without issue, thankfully avoiding a certain blonde whose own classes were in a completely separate building. Cordelia was happy about that, right up until she turned down the hallway to her office and came face to face with said blonde she’d been trying so desperately to circumvent. There was no use getting around it, both of them were headed to their separate offices which were so conveniently across the hall from each other.

“Hi,” she offered in a small voice.

Misty didn’t brighten up or respond enthusiastically as she normally would, simply giving her a passing “hello,” and closing the door to her office, effectively shutting her out. Just like she’d been shut out of her life. At least Cordelia had prepared for this, as she’d lay in bed the previous night and gone through every possible scenario in her head. This was probably scenario fifty five out of about seven hundred, so the best she could do was mirror Misty and shut her own office door. The rest of the day went as smoothly as could be, the lump in her throat managing to diminish as time slowly ticked on.

The knots in her stomach were a different story.

***

After nearly two weeks; or two weeks, three days, and four hours if you were counting like Cordelia, things were not looking any brighter. Small hellos and murmurs of acknowledgment had transformed into passing glances that barely held any volume, the hollowness of their interactions matching the hollow hole in Cordelia’s heart.

Cordelia had to be okay with it, she supposed. But the thing was, she wasn’t fine with it. At all. Instead of finding herself getting over Misty, she was inexplicably drawn to becoming more and more angry as the time went on.

It didn’t help that Misty fulfilled department head duties and hired Giselle Torres to fill some of the cracks in Hank’s blindingly obvious errors. It also didn’t help that Giselle looked like she’d stepped off the pages of Vogue, with her beautiful chestnut hair and legs for days. Cordelia had the displeasure of meeting her after a horrendously long Tuesday morning, when she was strolling back to her office just as Misty’s door opened. She heard delighted laughter and smelled coffee before she saw the two of them standing in the doorway, just close enough that it made her heart seize up. Cordelia had seen that look on Misty’s face before.

When she’d been on the receiving end of it.

Noticing Cordelia, Misty stepped back and flashed her a smile, the first after what seemed like a period of drought. Cordelia’s vision went fuzzy around the edges for a brief moment, barely registering that Misty was willingly talking to her. “Cordelia, this is Giselle. She’s new here, like me.”

Giselle offered her hand and Cordelia took it lamely, brushing the crumbs from her breakfast muffin off her shirt. “It’s lovely to meet you, Cordelia, I would chat with you but we should really get going.”

A master of self-sabotage, she couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you two off to?”

Misty gave her a look that made her feel pathetic and small. “Lunch,” she replied slowly as if Cordelia had never heard of such a thing, ”so we can get to know each other and discuss workload.”

“Yeah, of course. Sorry to interrupt.” Cordelia gave a flitting wave and crept backwards into her office, shutting the door and making sure they’d walked down the hall before bursting out into tears. With her back to the door, Cordelia slid down onto the floor and sobbed on and off until it was time for her to see Coco. That afternoon, she waited until positive Misty had left for the day to return to her office and get her car keys.

As if pulling on thin, flimsy armor, Cordelia continued to pretend everything was all peachy keen during wickedly long days at work. When she got home, it was a different story. There was no other way to describe it, she was miserable. Between the memories she’d shared with Misty, their close working proximity, and the way Giselle had taken to bringing Misty coffee in the mornings, Cordelia was quite frankly losing her goddamn mind. Her life had started to feel like a fever dream that she couldn’t wake up from, leaving her weak all over and just so fucking _tired_. And even after all this time had passed, she was still angry. Angry at Richard Taylor, angry at herself, angry at how effortlessly Misty moved on. Her blood boiled and stomach twisted every time she heard laughter coming from Misty’s office, especially during the late afternoons when she knew Giselle was running late to class.

It was torture.

***

Her vexation came to head one afternoon; or five weeks, eight days, and twelve hours if you were Cordelia, _not_ that she’d been counting anymore. Misty had clearly gotten over her little heartbreak by now, which made Cordelia feel incredibly stupid, like a teenager that couldn’t get over a simple breakup. The former had also taken up talking to Cordelia again in small doses; a few hellos here and there, some flippant comments about the weather. It only made the older of the two more angry at how fine she seemed with things.

The afternoon when Cordelia lost it had come after her students had blatantly disregarded her rules and ran an unauthorized psychology study, which meant she’d have to deal with President Taylor sometime in the coming week. As she trudged angrily back to her office, of course Giselle stepped out of Misty’s office looking like a fucking supermodel and waved hello after saying goodbye to Misty. Ignoring her completely, Cordelia may have possibly slammed her door a little harder than necessary. About fifteen minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. From where she was seated at her desk, fingertips massaging her temples, she called out, “Come in.”

The person who entered was not who she had expected. “Misty? What do you want?”

Misty was taken aback at the malice biting her tone, refusing to step inside when she clearly was not wanted here. “Sorry, I was just coming to invite you to get drinks with a bunch of us tonight. As friends, obviously. You can bring Coco.” She cast her gaze down at the floor. “For my birthday? I thought we could have a nice time.”

 _Fuck_. Cordelia had forgotten all about her birthday in the haze of her anger and blind rage dumping every memory she had of Misty. Even so, she couldn’t help herself from icily replying, “What, is Giselle too busy for your little pity party? I’m surprised you two aren’t going out attached at the hip.”

Clearly, her intentions to hurt Misty worked. She watched as fat tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, feeling like the award for world’s biggest asshole now belonged on her shelf. It was just too much for her, watching Misty be so close in proximity yet simultaneously eons away. Didn’t Misty realize this was killing her?

“Fine,” she snapped. “Fuck you. Sorry I even bothered. I thought we could be mature about this. It is what you wanted after all.”

Cordelia snorted, a low sound that was meant to irritate the younger blonde even further. “I bet you wish you could.” The thinly veiled wall that held back all of her nasty insults and angry quips had just fallen, and she wasn’t quick enough to stop everything from tumbling out. Misty was likely better off leaving to avoid this storm headed her way, but she stood her own ground.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“I said,” Cordelia repeated, despite everything in her screaming to _shut up_ , “You wish you could.”

“Oh, that’s fresh coming from you. Don’t act like you don’t go home and think about me all night because I’m not there to keep your bed warm.”

“You’re so goddamn full of yourself, truly. I have better things to think about.”

Misty took a step inside the room and shut the door behind her carefully. When the door hinge creaked, Cordelia finally looked up and was met with an emotion she’d never seen before on Misty’s face.

“Stand up.”

Cordelia drew back, unsure of where Misty was going with this. If the way Misty looked equal parts angry and aroused was any indication, then-

 _Oh_.

“Why would I do that?”

Misty dropped her bag on the chair, unbothered by the way Cordelia shot her a loathsome look. “Because you want to.”

Cordelia stood.

“Misty I-”

Taking three large steps over to the desk, Misty abruptly hovered behind her, running her hands over her shoulder blades and down the plain of her back. “Shut up,” she seethed, “I’m tired of listening to you talk.” She pushed the stack of papers in the middle of the desk off to the side, not caring when Cordelia huffed out angrily when some of them scattered to the ground. Misty’s touch then grew less soothing and more blunt, pressing Cordelia face down onto the desk and keeping her there with a flat palm on her lower back. When she complied effortlessly and more importantly without words, Misty hitched in a breath and began taking her weeks worth of pent up energy out.

Cordelia’s head was spinning rapidly, trying to ascertain how exactly Misty had gotten her so easily bent over like this. But then Misty’s hands were roaming up the back of her legs, making her forget everything in the world but the touch she _had_ been missing. As badly as she wanted to push Misty’s wandering touch away, she also wanted to pull her so close that it _hurt_ just so she could feel something. Cordelia set a fleeting reminder to send a prayer out for whatever higher being had convinced her to wear a skirt this morning, as it was hiked up the back of her thighs and bunched unceremoniously at her waist. Next was her underwear, that she noted were already slightly damp despite five minutes barely passing since this entire exchange began. Shoving her embarrassment aside, she bit back a snarky comment at the way Misty still paused to admire her naked lower half.

Maybe this was the lowest point in Cordelia’s life, but she couldn’t remember anything being so _fucking_ freeing.

“What, you’ve got nothing to say now? When you’re all wet like this? I knew I was right.”

“You told me to shut up,” Cordelia provoked her, “I’m just following orders. Are you just going to stand there or shall I do it myself?”

Misty drew her hand up and smacked her ass hard enough to leave a red mark, reminding Cordelia for the next few hours of what a mess she’d gotten herself into. _As if_ she’d ever forget any millisecond of this encounter.

Two fingers entered her roughly, twisting in such a way that Cordelia had to clench her jaw muscles to stop from screaming out at how otherworldly and insanely good they felt. Immediately overcome with pulsating energy flowing through her veins, she banged her forehead on the wooden desk and wailed, “Misty, ple-”

“I said shut up or I’ll stop.” When Cordelia complied and replaced snide words with sharp cries, two fingers became three. Equal parts amused and irritated, Misty began pounding in earnest, too overcome with emotion to stop for a second and just think about this.

She was tired of thinking. All she wanted to do was this- make Cordelia regret the path she’d chosen so valiantly, where everything seemed to be all sunshine and rainbows for her all the time. Misty didn’t have sunshine and rainbows. She had unresolved resentment, boiling anger, and thunderstorms. All of this was spelled out through her frantic movements, which came to a hard stop when she saw Cordelia had snaked a hand down to rub at her clit.

“Did I say you could touch yourself?”  
  
Cordelia was so close to coming that one more swipe of her pointer and middle finger and it’d be over. Her stomach muscles flexed against the wooden top of her desk, trying to keep the fluttering at bay. Taking in a haggard breath, trying to sound stable, she replied, “You haven’t said much of anything. I’m trying to get this over with, if you haven’t noticed.” She clenched around Misty’s fingers, trying to ward off the orgasm that was going to hit her like an oncoming train. Her free hand was gripped so tightly on the edge of the desk that Misty could see the bluish veins at the surface.

After that Misty went radio silent, her fingers still resting deep inside of Cordelia. The clock ticked behind her in a sizzling beat with the pounding rhythm of her heart. The perilous haze of their heated interaction had finally cleared from her vision, and she blinked back a new set of tears that threatened to drop down onto Cordelia’s back. Cordelia was startled to feel her orgasm dissipate as Misty pulled her fingers out slowly and without warning, barely taking the time to wipe them off on the back of her thigh.

Stiff and methodical with her movements, Misty took a step backwards, then another one, until she’d walked around the other side of the desk and picked up her bag. Without the courtesy of a goodbye or even a parting glance, she left Cordelia on the other side of the door trembling and crying.

Not unlike herself.

***

Another month or two passed by, rounding up to twelve weeks, one day, and four hours. Nothing had changed. They didn’t talk about the incident. Misty still flitted around, showcasing her friendship off with Giselle with every chance she got. They made it a point to keep Misty’s office door open, and every time Cordelia caught a glimpse of Giselle perched on the edge of her desk she wanted to put her fist through the wall. Misty had given up speaking to her altogether, and Cordelia wasn’t sure if it was helping or hurting. Probably both. This entire thing made her sick to her stomach, jealous beyond belief, and probably the poster child for pathetic behavior.

One Friday afternoon after she had watched Giselle and Misty stroll out, talking excitedly about the movie they watched last night, Cordelia was at her desk behind stacks of ungraded papers. She couldn’t bring her mind to focus on anything when all she wanted to do was go home and sleep for fifty years. Her plan was sidetracked, however, when Coco flung the door open and crossed her arms at her, toe tapping in disgust at Cordelia’s lackluster appearance.

“You look like shit. And when have you ever worn your glasses outside of your bedroom?”

Cordelia self-consciously touched the glasses she’d put on this morning after tossing and turning all night, too sad to sleep. She couldn’t be fucked to take the time to put her contacts in this morning. “Hello to you too,” she grumbled. “I wear my glasses sometimes.”

“We need to have a talk about whatever,” Coco swirled her pointer finger at her, “this is. I’m really worried about you.”

“I don’t need you to worry about me,” Cordelia shot back, then softer, “I’m sorry. I’m just very tired.”

“Uh huh, does it have anything to do with little Miss Sunshine across the hall and her pal that belongs on the covers of magazines?”

“No.”

“So that’s a yes. You could take her, by the way. I’m just saying. Blondes have more fun.”

Cordelia could barely remember the meaning of fun.

Coco took it upon herself to sit across from her without any invitation. Ignoring the annoyed look Cordelia shot at her, she made herself comfortable and sighed dramatically. “Look, babe, I know this isn’t easy for you, but you either need to start getting over it or find a new job. My preferred option would be for you to find someone else that’ll fuck some sense into you, but I know you won’t do that. I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

Digging her nails into palms to stave off tears, Cordelia blinked rapidly. “I don’t want to do that. But I’m trying to get over her, I really am. It’s- it’s _hard_.”

Coco hummed. “Well, clearly you’re not getting very far. What’s gonna help you get past this? I really don’t enjoy watching you suffer.”

Rubbing her tired eyes, Cordelia said, “It’s not fun for me either. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything, forgetting her, ignoring her, avoiding her. It’s not working. She’s all I think about.”

A contemplating sigh. “Do you think, maybe, and hear me out- you might be a little bit in love with her?”

The world stopped.

A broken, gasping sob escaped from Cordelia’s lips. Suddenly, it made sense. All of it. The way her heart both broke and repaired itself when it saw Misty’s face. How her anger only seemed to dissipate when it caught a glimpse of golden, strawberry blonde hair. The only way she fell asleep some nights with the soft idea of holding Misty’s hand. That day in her office hadn’t been a culmination of her aggravation acting out, it had been her inability to deny Misty the most simple, carnal acts her body desired.

How could Cordelia have been so blind? She wasn’t angry with Misty, she was angry because she was in _love_ with nothing tangible to latch on to. She’d been so busy ignoring her personal truth and shoving her emotions down the garbage disposal that she hadn’t, for one second, thought to let herself feel the positive weight of this entire jumbled mess.

At the sudden, visceral reaction it brought forth, Coco flashed a self-satisfied smug. “Thought so."

“Oh my God,” Cordelia whispered, heat rising and delicately painting her chest and neck with a soft shade of red. “What do I do?"

“I think you’ll figure it out, you always do.”

Cordelia nodded slowly, “Yeah, I do. I have to call Myrtle.”

“Myrtle? That crazy woman who worked here before you? What’s she gonna do?”

“You’ll see. Co, have I ever told you that I love you?” she stood and took Coco’s cheeks in her hands, pressing a wet kiss to her forehead that she squirmed away from.

“God, yes, get off me. I love you too. What are you doing?”

Cordelia grabbed her bag and flung her office door open. “I’m doing what I need to do.”

“You’re fucking welcome,” Coco airly tossed into the empty office.

Three hours later, Cordelia found herself standing on Misty’s porch in the pouring down rain. How fitting, she thought. Didn’t all romance films have dramatic break up scenes in the middle of a storm? Gathering up the will to knock on the door, she glanced behind her to make sure that Misty’s car was still here as if it disappeared in the last ten seconds she’d looked. Knocking in a trio, loud enough for her to hear, Cordelia held her breath. She heard Mick bark first, then saw the hall light flick on.

When Misty opened the door, Cordelia nearly cried. She looked beautiful. Positively fucking radiant. The best dream anyone in the history of the world had ever conjured up. With her hair in a loose bun, her tiny little glasses, and cute pajama shorts with llamas printed on them, Cordelia had never been so certain about being in love.

“Cordelia?” she questioned, “What are _you-_ you shouldn’t be here. It’s late.”

It was still fairly early, and they both knew what a shitty excuse it was.

“Can I just- I need to talk to you. Please. Give me five minutes.” Raindrops dripped down her forehead and corralled off her eyelashes, blurring her vision.

Misty glanced down at her dripping wet appearance, ushering her inside the door. “Yeah, stay here, I’ll get you a towel.” Cordelia waited patiently in the foyer for her to return, leaning down to scratch Mick’s head. “Hi, baby,” she cooed.

Returning with a fluffy towel and a glass of wine for herself, Misty broadly gestured towards the living room. Cordelia tried desperately to erase her mind of what they’d done on this couch the last time they were here together, all those weeks ago. Spreading the towel out, she sat tensely on the cushion.

“What did you want to talk about? You’ve been really fucking mean to me, I’m not particularly in the mood for a friendly visit.”

“I quit my job today.”

Misty nearly spit out her sip of wine. “You _what_? Cordelia- why would you do that?” She sat up and gave her a look of disbelief.

“I have another offer, from the woman who was head of psychology before me. She’s been bugging me for years now. She knows this academy a couple miles away, a home for girls with extraordinary talents, you know? Geniuses. Says I’m perfect for it. Less stress, less work, less-”

“Less of me. Is that what you came here to tell me? That you quit because you’re tired of seeing me around? That’s pretty low, Delia.” Misty was suddenly back to being agitated.

“No,” she pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. I quit because I’m in love with you. And I know that’s horrible of me to say, and I know you don’t feel the same because you have Giselle and a life that I’m not a part of anymore. It’s fine, I just needed you to know that before I went absolutely insane. I’m trying to leave on good terms, give myself a chance to start fresh.”

Misty had her eyes fixated on the patterns on her living room carpet, mindlessly brushing her fingertips over the seam of her couch. Quietly, so softly that Cordelia had to lean in to hear, she said, “Giselle is my friend.”

“Yes, she’s beautiful and funny and charming, and-”

“And she’s not you.”

Cordelia’s breath hitched. “What did you say?”

“I said,” Misty punctuated her words this time, “She’s not you. She has made it clear that she wants to be more than friends, but I can’t even entertain the idea. Not while you’re still in here.” Pointing to the soft skin above her heart, she refused to make eye contact by glancing up at the ceiling, hoping her tears would miraculously fuck off and dissipate.

“I don’t-“ Cordelia cleared her throat, her own eyes brimming with tears, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I tried so fucking hard to let you go, and every morning she’d come to bring me coffee or hang out after class I wished so desperately that it was you instead. And it never was. Then that day in your office made me realize I couldn’t sit around waitin’ to be with you, even if I was in love with you. It was easier to ignore you, it didn’t hurt as badly as seeing your face.”

Cordelia, overthinker extraordinaire, hadn’t factored this into the equation. She had come here, of course, on her own volition to pass on the news to Misty. Not to sway her opinion or even ask for a chance in Hell at being together. No, Cordelia came here to get one final look at the face she considered more beautiful than any piece of exquisite artwork and the seven wonders of the world combined.

The unhinged emotion coiled tightly in her gut as she struggled to analyze what Misty had just told her. “I got angry with you because I thought you’d forgotten me so effortlessly.”

“Cordelia, don’t you see? I can’t forget you. I remember everything. Every single detail.” Misty had hoped to get through this without the presence of more tears, but that all blew away when she felt a drop splash onto her thigh, and suddenly she couldn’t see inches in front of her.

“But you- you have Giselle. I don’t have anything on her.”

Misty squeezed her eyes shut and huffed out a deep sigh. “I don’t _want_ Giselle. I want you. I’ve always wanted you. There is nothing she has or can give me that I can’t get from you.”

“But she-“

“Shut up.”

Cordelia closed her mouth.

The younger blonde continued, “Why do you think so lowly of yourself? Can’t you see how incredibly perfect you are? It hurts me. It’s been hurting me all these weeks.”

“I don’t think lowly of myself, not with you. Not when we’re together.” Cordelia was in full blown hysterics by now, having scared Mick off with her alternate whimpers and sobs. She’d never been so emotionally raw with anyone, no one that mattered so much. It was a terribly sickening act of love, she thought, letting Misty see her at her absolute worst. As it turns out, Cordelia couldn’t seem to bring herself to care. Not when Misty had just cracked her own chest open to let Cordelia get a good look at all the secrets she’d been harboring for the past seven weeks, eight days, and eight hours since they’d cut the cord separating their hearts.

What a sick, cosmic joke, falling in love during the part of her life that felt like a war had ravaged her heart, leaving the pieces torn and thrown carelessly.

“Then how are we here? So upset with each other?”

“I think we’re angry because,” Cordelia paused to take in a shuddering breath, “We’ve been trying to separate ourselves when our hearts know it’s the wrong thing to do.”

“Yeah,” Misty agreed, acknowledging how true that sounded, then, “Cordelia?”

For the first time all evening, they made eye contact. It was a mixture of the most frightening emotions Cordelia had ever felt in her life, along with the most heart achingly soft ones. It was a strange dichotomy, the fire and ice that bloomed deep inside her chest cavity. When their eyes held contact, Cordelia felt equal parts vulnerable and so utterly safe that it rendered her unable to speak for a moment. Despite the overwhelming need for letting out a guttural scream, she couldn’t feel anything but secure when Misty looked at her. She was incapable of feeling any different. It was like she’d been captured in the essence of everything Misty encapsulated; love, softness, purity.

And it felt fucking _amazing_.

Forgetting for a moment that Misty had questioned her, she replied, “Yes?”

“I love you.” she said simply, and then, “Please kiss me.”

Cordelia all but threw herself into Misty’s arms. For the first time in the longest three months of her life, she pressed her lips against the only other pair she’d ever want to feel again. As her weight settled comfortably in the soft curves and angles of Misty’s body, Cordelia flicked her tongue out cautiously, sweeping across the broad lower lip that was against hers so delicately.

When Misty groaned, a low noise that asked for _moremoremore,_ Cordelia pushed her tongue fully into her mouth. Gasping as if Cordelia was a direct lifeline, Misty arched up and clutched desperately at the back of her neck. Every kiss from then on drew every ounce of air from Cordelia’s lungs, but she didn’t need air. She didn’t need anything except this; Misty’s hair tickling her collarbone, wet lips driving her mad with desire, and the way Misty clutched at her with a tiny but ferocious might. Misty broke apart only long enough to clutch Cordelia’s jaw and lick up the remaining raindrops that hovered in the hollow of her throat. While she did that, Cordelia fumbled blindly to grasp her waist and pull her so close there was not an inch of space between them, just the way she wanted it to be forever.

At the position and tangled mess of limbs they found themselves in, Misty sat up and pulled back, wiping her bottom lip off. When panic flashed across Cordelia’s face, illuminating her with regret and sorrow, Misty was quick to take her hands and kiss each knuckle.

“I don’t want to do this here, I want it proper.”

 _Proper_ , Cordelia thought. What an interesting choice of word. For all this time, they’d been skirting around elephants in rooms and quieting the declarations of love in their hearts, when they should have let them shout free into caverns for everyone to hear the echoes. So yeah, maybe they did owe it to themselves to do things properly from now on.

As if in a daze, Cordelia took Misty’s outstretched hand and stood on wobbly legs. This was not what she’d been expecting on her drive over, she’d been expecting a swift goodbye, a, ‘ _see you never,’_ and now look where she was. Being led to Misty’s bathroom, where a rarely used clawfoot tub was currently being filled with warm water and lavender flavored bath salts.

“Will you take a bath with me?” Misty whispered from somewhere behind her as she gathered clean towels in her arms.

Fighting the urge to say _I’ll kill for you, just say the word,_ Cordelia once again nodded, tugging her blouse out from where it was tucked into her pants. Misty watched her for a moment, grasping her wrist firmly to stop her from doing so. “Can I- let me do that, please. It’s all I think about.”

Cordelia dropped her hand and cupped Misty’s cheek, leaning in to press soft lips against hers. “Anything you want.”

“All I want is you.”

Moments later, Misty had tenderly removed all of Cordelia’s clothing, rapidly doing the same to her own. She tentatively stepped into the tub, deeming it warm enough, outstretching her hand for Cordelia to take. Stepping in and slowly lowering herself, the latter settled wholly into the embrace, her back to Misty’s chest. When she leaned forward to rest her head on Cordelia’s shoulder, the older blonde hummed contentedly.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Misty kissed the side of her neck.

Cordelia didn’t want her to ever have one negative emotion, fiercely denying her that right by replying, “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one that treated you poorly when I couldn’t get my emotions in check. I ruined your birthday.”

“I didn’t do a great job either,” Misty paused, then continued, “But it doesn’t matter now, does it.”

It wasn’t a question, and Cordelia knew it. Nothing mattered at all, in fact, except the way Misty was holding her so possessively in her arms.

Mumbling into the side of her neck once more, Misty asked, “May I touch you now?”

“I wish you would.”

The water in the tub was dangerously high with the both of them in it. It splashed a little over the edge with her movement, but Misty didn’t seem to care, especially not as Cordelia spread her legs and granted her the access she had craved so desperately. At the first light touch between her legs, Cordelia went numb with relief.

Sighing into it and relaxing, Cordelia pressed herself as far back as possible, feeling the hardened tips of Misty’s breasts scrape against her back muscles. The warm water and sweet smells swirling off the steam only furthered her utter contentment. “Mm,” she murmured, “I missed this. I missed _you_.”

When Misty dipped her two fingers down to Cordelia’s entrance, they both gasped at how wet she was. Just for Misty. Bringing both hands up to cup her breasts and tweak at Cordelia’s nipples, an obscene groan broke the serene aura in the room. Cordelia jerked back, several broken whimpers that sounded like _‘please’_ dropping from her lips as the water swayed around them like they were at sea.

Finally returning one hand between Cordelia’s legs, Misty parted her folds quickly and rubbed in between. At the direct contact on her clit, she whined, undulating her hips until Misty humored her and slipped a finger inside warm walls. Capturing an earlobe with her teeth, Misty simultaneously bit down and pushed in another finger.

Cordelia wailed.

Shushing her, Misty worked in languid, unhurried thrusts until Cordelia gripped her forearm and gritted out, “Stop teasing me.” Laughing heartily, Misty finally began fucking Cordelia like she meant it, adding her thumb to the mix. The warm water splashed up with the movements and smacked Cordelia in the face, but she didn’t care.

Not when she felt like Misty had begun to fuck the life back into her.

After a few broad strokes coupled with her free hand rolling a nipple between her forefinger and thumb, Cordelia felt something click deep inside of her and came clenching around Misty’s talented fingers. The only thing keeping her tethered to this earth was Misty kissing sporadically down the side of her neck and shoulder to bring her off the high.

They stayed like that, Misty still inside warm walls until Cordelia couldn’t take the pressure any more and pulled them out. Misty brought her hand up to her lips and sucked on them while Cordelia banged the back of her head on a soft shoulder. “I forgot how mean you are when you’re in control.”

“You missed me,” Misty teased.

Very seriously, Cordelia replied, “I did. I do. It’s hard for me to do anything but.”

“I know,” she replied just as seriously, “It was the same for me.”

After a few more minutes spent contemplating how long they could stay in the bath, they decided it couldn’t be forever. Cordelia stepped out first, handing Misty a towel before wrapping herself in one. After Misty was sufficiently dried off, she took Cordelia’s hand again and led them to her bedroom. Crawling into her warm comforter, she flipped the covers for Cordelia to come up next to her, bodies so close there was no room for the chill in the air to penetrate them and cause goosebumps.

Cordelia cradled her face. “I want to make you feel good.” She briefly closed her eyes and kissed Misty again, ghosting her lips across her cheek. “Let me make you feel good.”

Misty knit her eyebrows together and replied, “You don’t have to.” Cordelia cut her off, “But I want to.” She gestured with her head towards the bedside table. “What else is in that magic drawer of yours?”

A thrill shot down Misty’s spine. Scrambling to open up the drawer, she glanced back. “Are you sure? You do have a mouth I’ve been missin’.”

A soft chuckle. “Yes.”

Seconds later, a small but expensive and sleek looking vibrator dangled between her fingers. She handed it to Cordelia, intertwining their legs together. “Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“At night, when I couldn’t sleep because of how badly I missed you, I’d use this and remember your soft skin and how good it felt to hear you call out my name. It was the only thing that helped.”

Cordelia inhaled a sharp breath. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for that.”

“You’re here now.” Raising one eyebrow, she tilted her head and puckered her lips for Cordelia to kiss.

Afterwards, she asked, “How do you want me?”

Cordelia gently pressed her down on the mattress, her half-dried hair fanning out across the pillow under her head. She flicked the vibrator on the lowest setting, pausing with it hovered right between Misty’s legs. The latter squirmed, spreading her thighs further apart, asking in few words if Cordelia could get a move on, it'd be _much_ appreciated.

In the soft light from Misty’s lamp and the two candles she had burning, Cordelia wasn’t positive that she’d blink and this dream wouldn’t be gone in a puff of smoke. When Misty mewled, however, she snapped back to reality and took what she had under her seriously. She opened Misty up further with a gentle touch, admiring the wet, glistening folds that were already waiting for her. She turned the vibrator up another two notches until it hit the highest setting, dragging it slowly on the inside of a smooth thigh, dancing perilously close towards where Misty needed it so damn _badly_.

In an attempt to get Cordelia to quit her teasing, Misty grabbed her wrist and painfully spit out, “Inside, please.”

Cordelia drug the vibrator over her slit a half dozen more times, finally pushing it inside and setting a quick pace. Misty sighed, arched her back, and swung a leg over Cordelia’s shoulder from where she was perched on her stomach further down on the bed. Pink lipped and rosy cheeked, Cordelia was fulfilling what seemed like the destiny she’d been put on earth to do.

After several long, drawn out moments that were borderline pornographic, Misty took her breasts in her hands and scraped her palms over the sensitive tips of her nipples, giving way to a new series of low pants and hums. When Cordelia hit that sweet, _sweet_ spot and twisted the vibrations deeper, harder; she was suddenly crying out and coming all over herself, likely dripping down onto Cordelia’s hand.

The woman further down the bed watched the entire orgasm unfold with wide eyes and bated breath. When her back hit the bed and she began trembling, Cordelia switched off the toy and pulled it slowly from tight walls. Misty was shivering, boneless, and jellied all over. It made Cordelia ache with how beautiful she looked.

“Come up here,” Misty begged, without taking her eyes off the spot on the ceiling they’d been fixated on. Instead of obeying her plea, Cordelia spread her legs once more and dove in, putting her lips on Misty’s clit and sucking. The second orgasm came unexpectedly, despite how overly sensitive Misty was. For only a few, maddening seconds, Cordelia kept her tongue steadily rolling back and forth over the soft bundle of nerves.

When Misty came for the second time, she wailed Cordelia’s name and dug her heels into the bedsheets. Kissing around gently, lapping up wetness to avoid her stimulated clit, Cordelia couldn’t help but grin into the wet skin. She felt Misty tug at her hair and this time she complied, angling her head to let Misty suck on her wet bottom lip.

“I hate you,” Misty sighed, swiping the sweat off her eyebrow, “You’re a goddamn tease.”

“Even after I made you come like that?” she laughed, wiping her chin off with the back of her hand. “Twice?”

Misty rolled over on her side, mirroring Cordelia’s position. She swept a lock of her hair away from her face so she could have a full view of her most treasured possession. “I can’t believe you quit your job.”

“I did it for good reason. I mean, I didn’t expect this to happen,” she shifted closer, “But now we can be together.”

“We can.” Misty said dreamily, feeling her body float above the bed, weightless and limitless. “What did Richard Taylor have to say? What did _Coco_ have to say?”

“Richard told me it was unfortunate I came to this decision, as if that bastard cared about anything I’ve done for his school. And Coco, well, she told me she loves and supports me no matter what but I’m dead to her if I don’t make time for coffee twice a week. And that she’s taking my office.”

“Sounds about right,” Misty laughed.

Cordelia nuzzled her cheek into a soft shoulder, wondering what kind of saint she’d been in a past life to be right here. Deciding to worry about that at a later time, she finally relaxed for the first time in what felt like her entire life.

“I can’t believe we’re here.”

“I can’t believe it, either. I thought I was goin’ to be alone with Mick for the rest of my life.”

“What, he didn’t keep you warm all these nights?” Cordelia pretended to act shocked and climb out of bed.

“He did but,” Misty pulled her back, eyes twinkling, “I don’t wanna kiss him like I wanna kiss you.”

“Gee, what an honor,” she joked, squealing when Misty pinched at her sides and flopped on top of her. Misty sat up and straddled her waist, pressing her palms down on the flat stomach underneath her. Despite her previous teasing, when she whispered, “You’re so fucking beautiful. Ethereal,” Cordelia knew she meant it with every fiber of her being.

In the softest gesture she’d ever had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of, Cordelia waited as Misty dipped her head and peppered kisses from her bellybutton to her sternum, leaving little wet marks and some _not_ so safe for work bruises. When she finally reached Cordelia’s face, she danced kisses around where the older woman wanted them most, giggling when she fiercely captured Misty’s chin and angled it for a proper kiss.

And then when Mick pushed his way through the door and settled comfortably at their feet, Cordelia was finally positive all the pieces of her puzzle had been completed. A picture perfect moment in time.

“Misty?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

A dry snort. “I love you. Will you stop talking so much and kiss me?”

“I’ll never stop,” Cordelia warned.

“Wouldn’t bother me one bit.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking around while i got my shit together and wrote this! i'm- very proud of this chapter, so if you liked it and whatnot i'd love to hear some feedback. some more prompts and ideas are also always welcomed:) 
> 
> thank you to my lovely, crazy talented friend ix (dirtyrippedjeans on tumblr) who helped edit and hyped me up when i wasn't sure i could pull off half of this!!
> 
> this is for phoebe, alyx & sammy and jossy, some of my favorite people in the whole wide worlddd ily babes so much
> 
>  
> 
> (I’d hope u know to find me at moonmotels1 on twitter by now?)


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